:i 










Mistory of.^ 
Stanitowoc Cou 






m 



A HISTORY 



OF- 



fflANiTowoc County 



-BY- 



RALPH G. PLUMB. 



COMPLETE AND ILLUSTRATED. 



BRANDT PRINTING & BINDING GO. 
1904. 



.|V\' 



T) ' r 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two CoDles Received 
JUL 11 1904 

•A CooyrlehtEntry 

W{^ I- K\DUr 
OLASS ^XXo. No. 

COPY B 



C<<pyrii;ht, 1904 by 

Brandt Pkinting & Binding Co., 

Manitowoc, Wis 




BENJAMIN JONES 



PREFACE 

A brief explanation as to^the purpose of this book may not be out of place. 
Some years ago when the author first resided In Madison, his attention was 
attracted to the vast accumulated material on the subject of local Wisconsin 
history, gathered together in the State Historical Library at that city, and 
particularly to the hundreds of bound files of newspapers. At first he was 
led to a cursory browsing in the early volumes of certain Manitowoc county 
weeklies and the discovery of much interesting arid generally forgotten in- 
formation led to a more detailed and systematic reading of the files. The in- 
terest in the pioneer existence of the lake shore region thus aroused became 
more and more intense as this study progressed and the final result was the 
determination to gather from all possible sources as much material relating 
to the history of Manitowoc County as could be found and the condensation 
and combination of it into a fairly readable account. Old records, interviews 
and miscellaneous works have been valuable adjuncts to the newspaper files 
in furnishing the basis of the work and, although the problem of selection 
presented was often a most difficult one, an attempt, at least, has been made 
to follow approved historical methods in the recording and interpretation of 
facts. 

This, then, is the aim of this history. No claims are made for its literary 
merits. On the other hand the author has more largely devoted his eiforts 
towards securing correctness in point of fact than elegance of style. Differ- 
ent phases- in the county's history are treated topically also, instead of an at- 
tempt being made to write one connected story of the entire existence of the 
county, as it was thought true prospective would thus be better afforded. It 
may be objected that too many dates have been inserted. From the literary 
standpoint this is doubtless true, but it must be remembered that above all 
the idea in writting this work was the recording in some permanent form df 
many facts which in future years may be useful as well as interesting, in re- 
gard to the beginning and progress of the county. The older generation is 
rapidly passing off the stage of action and the original evidence of historical 
value,.such as landmarks, is being obliterated year by year. To preserve at 
least a partial account of the changes made by the course of time was the 
task the author set before him. Without further apology he submits the result 
to the reader. Ralph Gordon Plumb. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTERS PAGE 

I. Descriptive 1 

II. The Indians 8 

III. Early Settlement 16 

IV. Growth and Foreigfn Iramig^ration 32 

V. Means of Communication 42 

VI. Marine 55 

VII. Railroads 85 

VIII. Military 112 

IX. Politics 133 

X. Village and City Government 167 

XI. Churches 183 

XII. Societies and Organizations 227 

XIII. Education 243 

XIV. The Press 255 

XV. The Professions 278 

XVI. Banks and Banking- 281 

XVII. Business and Industry 288 

Appendixes 293 

Ii.dex 



DEDICATION 

To the pioneers whoraade Manitowoo County whatit is today this work 
is dedicated by the Author. 



dliAPTER I. 
DESCRIPTIVK. 



The territory embraced withinBthe present limits of the 
county of Manitowoc is situated as follows: — from the shores 
of Lake Michig-an on the east to Calumet County on the west 
and from Sheboyg"an County on the south to Brown and Ke- 
waunee Counties on the north, all of the boundaries being- 
regfular with the exception of the lake line and also the 
northwestern corner where Brown County makes an indenta- 
tion. The county lies in 44 degrees, 36 minutes, north 
latitude and its area is 612 square miles. It is divided into 
eighteen townships, the northern row being composed of 
Cooperstown, Gibson, Mishicott and Two Creeks, that next 
south of them. Maple Grove, Franklin, Kossuth and Two 
Rivers, then a tier composed of Rockland, Cato, Manitowoc 
Rapids and Manitowoc, south of them another, composed of 
Katon, Liberty and Newton and the tier furthest south being 
made up of Schleswig, Meeme and Centreville. The largest 
of these is Kossuth which comprises forty sections of land, 
while the smallest are Two Creeks and Manitowoc, which 
contain about fifteen sections apiece. Cooperstown, Maple 
Grove, Franklin, Cato, Rockland, Rapids, Liberty, Eaton, 
Meeme and Schleswig correspond in size to the legal town- 
ship, viz., thirty-six sections. 



2 

The county is. all "witliin the territory covered by the 
Lake Michig-an g-lacier in prehistoric times, this fact having- 
had its effect upon the conformation of the land. The latter 
is g^radually sloping- from the western boundaries to the lake, 
the Kettle Moraine which beg-ins in Door County, traversing- 
the western ^portion in a southwesterly direction, thus form- 
ing- a watershed between the streams running- into the Fox 
and its tributaries and those flowing- into Lake Michigan. 
This rang-e of hills extend in a loop throug-h the south cen- 
tral part of the state, the western arm extending- upwards as 
far as Lang-lade county. The underlying strata of the county 
are of rock of a variety which is denoted by geologists as 
Niag-ara limestone. Layers of this are exposed along the 
course of the West Twin River in the townships of Gibson 
and Cooperstown and several caves are there found. These 
attracted but little attention until the eighties, when, how- 
ever, they became widely known as curious formations. The 
prevailing soil is clay strongly impregnated in places with 
limestone and with gravel in the northwestern part of the 
county. Sand is abundant along the river valleys and on the 
lake shore, the latter being particularly adapted for building 
purposes. The limestone is of a fine whitish variety and sev- 
eral quarries, notably at Grimms Station, have been opened 
in order to utilize the product. In some places it is of such a 
fine-grained quality that in an early day it was mistaken for 
marble. Thus a discovery of supposed marble upon the Nacht- 
wey farm in the town of Gibson was once much heralded and 
several years before the Baker marbles were widely known, 
being named after the discoverer, a resident in the town of 
Rapids. The stone was remarkably compact and uniform in 
crystallization. In the early thirties gold deposits were ru- 
mored to have been found in what is now Kewaunee County, 
creating much excitement, it being supposed that this prec- 
ious metal would be found in that section of the state in con- 
siderable amount. Such hopes, however, proved without foun- 
dation in fact. As early as 1850 one Joel Smith, brother of 
P. P. Smith, while at work in the present township of Gib- 
son, discovered specimens of what was believed to be copper 



quartz, but owing- to his subsequent blindness the vein was 
not located. At intervals of a few years similar discoveries 
were made, leading- finally to the sinking- of a shaft on the 
farm of Adolph Hudson, which, after fruitless endeavors of 
several months induration, was abandoned. Finds were later 
made on the Robinson farm in the same vicinity, while sim- 
ilar discoveries have been made at times in the town of Mani- 
towoc Rapids. The clay in certain parts of the county, not- 
ably near the city of Manitowoc, is of a peculiar variety, 
which can be manufactured into cream colored brick and this 
industry has been an important one. On several occasions 
small veins of natural g-as have been struck, notabTy in New- 
ton in 1865 and later in Manitowoc Rapids, not of sufficient 
mag-nitude, however, to be of commercial value. A peculiar 
black sand in the town of Two Creeks was early made use of 
in the manufacture of matches and larg-e quantities have con- 
tinued to be exported. With these exceptions the CQUtty has 
been without developed mineral resources. 

The surface of the county is g-ently undulating:, being- the 
hig-hest in the northwest and southwest portions. The high- 
est point in the county is in Township 21, Rang-e 21 in the 
town of Schleswig-, which is 359 feet above the level of the 
lake. The averag-e levels of various of the towns are as fol- 
lows:— Cooperstown 210 feet, Gibson 9b, Mishicott 60, Maple 
Grove 200, Kossuth 100, Two Rivers 29, Cato 250, Manitowoc 
Rapids 120, Manitowoc 50, Franklin 300, Meeme 200, Schles- 
wig- 290 and Centerville 60. A portion of Eaton and Cato and 
a larg-e part of Rockland are swampy, but as a whole there is 
very little waste land. The county is well drained, thus add- 
ing- greatly to its fertility. The principal stream is the Mani- 
towoc, after which the county was named, which is forty-five 
miles in length and drains about four hundred square miles. 
It rises in Calumet County and after a winding- course through 
Rockland, Eaton, Liberty, Cato, Rapids and Manitowoc, it 
finally empties into Lake Michig-an, its descent being- 262 feet 
in the last fifteen miles of its course. Numerous small tribu- 
taries swell its flow, notably the north branch which flows 
into it in the western part of the town of Rapids, after drain- 



ing a g-oodly portion of the northern part of county, the 
North Mud Creek, which joins it in the town of Rockland and 
which flows througfh Reedsville, and the South Mud Creek. 
Good water power was afforded at an early day at eig"ht 
places along- the course, notably at Murphy's mills and at 
Manitowoc Rapids. The stream was then much higher than 
at present and was navigable for canoes nearly to Lake Win- 
nebago, as Lapham says in his description of Wisconsin, 
written in 1844. At about this time a canal was proposed to 
connect it with Lake Winnebago, which would require, it 
was estimated, thirty-seven locks but the project never re- 
ceived much attention. High water and floods were often 
causes of great damage, those of 1881, 1885 and 1888 being 
particularly destructive to property, including many dams 
and bridges. At the mouth of the river, where it entered the 
lake, sand bars formed before improvements began and the 
lands in the vicinity were very low and marshy, necessitating 
much filling in improving the village of Manitowoc. 

The next largest streams of the county are the Twin 
Rivers, the Neshoto or West Twin and the Mishicott or East 
Twin, which unite a few rods from the point, where they 
enter the lake. The East Twin is the shorter and rises in the 
town of Montpelier in Kewaunee County, flowing southward 
after being joined by Mauvais Creek, while the West Twin 
rises in Brown County and flows through Cooperstown, Gib- 
son and Kossuth southeastward into the lake. Good water 
power was once utilized on both, notably at Mishicott and 
Neshoto. The Sheboygan River flows southeastward through 
the town of Schleswig and receives several tributaries from 
that portion of the county, among them Meeme Creek. Water 
power was also early utilized on this stream. Besides these 
principal rivers there are several creeks, emptying into the 
lake at points along the shore, among them the Little Mani- 
towoc, whose mouth is in the northwestern part of the city 
of Manitowoc and whose course is largely marked by marshes 
and bayous. Silver and Calvin Creeks, three and four miles 
south of the city respectively. Point Creek, seven miles south 
and Cenlerville Creek, running through the village of that 



name. The southern and western parts of the county are 
dotted with small lakes. Among- the largfest are Cedar Lake 
in the town of Schleswig-, Eng-lish Lake in Newton, named 
after a surveyor who is said to have fallen in that body of 
water, Pig-eon Lake in Liberty, Silver Lake in Rapids, Long- 
Lake in Rockland and Prairie Lake in Meeme. These, as well 
as the rivers and creeks, are fed by numerous springs of pure 
water. In fact the water supply of the county is uuvarying- 
in quantity and high in quality. At Manitowoc the nearness 
of the lake made it unnecessary to dig artesian wells but the 
domestic wells used before a waterworks system was installed 
were very satisfactory and the veins seemed inexhaustible. 
At Two Rivers, however, it was necessary in one instance to 
drill 1700 feet before a flow was obtained and in several por- 
tions of the county wells for farm purposes have been drilled 
to a considerable depth. 

When the first settlers came to the county they found it 
an almost impenetrable wilderness. Pine was the prevailing- 
timber, great forests of it growing- along the banks of the 
Manitowoc and in the northern part of the county. Hemlock 
was also growing in great quantities, particularly in the north- 
eastern part around Two ^'ivers, while the tamarack filled 
the swamps in the western portion. The hard varieties, such 
as the beech, elm and maple were also of abundant growth and 
the wild crabapple, willow and sumach fringed the banks of 
the streams. The hand of the lumberman in twenty years de- 
vastated this virgin forest but even up to the present day the 
county has been fairly well wooded, particularly in the north- 
ern and western portions. In the past the thick growth of trees 
offered in many respects an excellent opportunity for the 
spread of fire and the fear of this danger was not the least of 
the anxieties of the pioneer. The most destructive of the 
great forest fires, which Wisconsin has experienced, that in 
1871, touched the northern portions of the county and result- 
ed in great loss of property. In other years also, among them 
1864 and 1895, considerable damage was the result of these 
conflagrations. The native vegetation of the county origin- 
ally was that usually found in the northern states. Wild 



grape vines clung- to the trees, berries were hidden under the 
pine needles, wild rice g-rew in the marshes and the open 
places were carpeted with all the various kinds of g-rasses. 
The hand of man here too soon made itself felt and as the 
years rolled by waving- fields of grain and rich meadows 
spread in extent until Manitowoc's present reputation as an 
agricultural county was established. Hard wheat was the 
first chief product of the cultivated soil but the softer varie- 
ties and oats, barley and rye soon supplanted it, while hay 
was always an important crop. Veg-etables find the proper 
qualities in the soil to bring" forth abundant crops and the re- 
sult has been that pease, beans, cabbag-es and potatoes have 
been raised in g-reat quantities. Manitowoc County pease, in 
particular, have, as canned products, g-ainedf.a wide reputa- 
tion. Fruits too, principally apples, cherries and plums,' are 
raised to a considerable extent. 

In the early days wild animals roamed at will throug-h 
"the forests primeval." Bears subsisted on nuts and berries 
andjwere seen in the county as late as the sixties quite fre- 
quently. In 1859 a lynx was shot within a half mile of Mani- 
towpc and deer were numerous even at a later period. The 
wild ducks and g-eese visited the wild rice fields in the au- 
tumn and the rabbit, g"opher and squirrel made their perma- 
nent habitation in the trunks of old trees and beneath their 
roots. Snakes were never very plentiful and those of a harm- 
less variety. In the streams fish were abundant, including- 
bass, pickerel and "bullheads", while in the lake whitefish, 
trout and herring- were caug-ht in quantities, Two Rivers be- 
ing- the center of that industry. In the rivers of the northern 
part of the county, particularly in Kossuth and Gibson, clams 
are abundant and several valuable pearls have been found. 
Crawfish are also numerous at the mouths and along- the cour- 
ses of the streams. 

In climate Manitowoc County has much, for which to be 
thankful. The mitig-ating- influences of the lake have pre- 
vented extremes of heat and cold and, althoug-h the spring-s 
are frequently somewhat raw and inclement, the autumns are 
most pleasantly prolonged and frosts are often postponed un- 



til late October. The county has never been visited by a se- 
vere cyclone or destructive winds and has in a remarkable de- 
g-ree escaped floods and droug-ths. On the Mrhole Nature did 
much in providing- so favored a reg-ion for a community to 
work out the results, of which the account is g^iven in the suc- 
ceeding- pag-es. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE INDIANS. 



How far back the American Indian dates in history is al- 
tog"ether a matter of speculation. And 3-et Manitowoc like 
most other American communities is interested in such a dis- 
cussion, for the very name of the river and county sug-g-est the 
race which o-ave them an appelation. Various sig^nifications 
have been g-iven to the word by Indian philologists, but the 
best seems to be that it is an abbreviation of the form Munedo- 
owk, which in Ojibway and Chippewa means "habitation of 
the g-ood spirit". It was originally applied to the river and 
as early as 1844 Lapham in his "Wisconsin" speaks of it as 
sig-nifying- "the river of spirits" and the territorial leg-isla- 
ture very wisely applied this aborig^inal name to the civil di- 
vision which it formed in 1836. Whether g-ood or evil spirits 
were intended was long- a subject of controversy but in a let- 
ter to the Prairie du Chien Verdict in June 1847, A. Benson, 
an authorit}" on Indian languages, seems to have settled on the 
former interpretation and it has since been followed. He also 
stated that in his opinion the change from the orig-inal Ojib- 
way word was due to the misunderstanding- of it by the Me- 
nomonees and those tribes who later inhabited the reg-ion. 
What leg-end or story ma}' have been connected with the 
name is wrapped in m3'Stery but, knowing- Indian nature, as 
modern students do, it seems certain that there must have 
been one. Other names in the county also afford a field for 
philolog-ical study. Mishicott has been translated as mean- 
ing- "hair}' leg-", Meeme as signifying- "pig-eon" and Neshoto 
as an Indian name for "twins", a name sug-gested by the riv- 
ers of which it was one. 



Whether or not the mound builders existed in the county 
also g-ives rise to interesting speculation. Certain mounds 
and implements have been found at various places in the 
southern part and in Sheboygan County. These have borne a 
resemblance to simple breastworks, being about four feet in 
height and twelve feet in width at the base. Little investiga- 
tion, however, has been made concerning these primeval in- 
habitants in this portion of the state. Whatever may be true 
concerning them, of a tribe of Indians, more ancient than 
those with whom the first white settlers came in contact, 
traces have been found. Particularly is this true on the 
shores of the lake northeast of Two Rivers, where at various 
times numerous remains have been discovered. In June 1893 
mounds were opened which contained six skeletons and many 
copper implements, all of which were sent to the Smithson- 
ian Institute for preservation. H. C. Hamilton of Two Riv- 
ers has been an indefatigable collector of these relics of an 
earlier race and the size of his gatherings betokens the ex- 
istence of many an ancient community within the confines of 
the present county. It has also been said that the Indians, 
who in the early forties resided near Two Rivers traced 
their lineage to this more ancient and, it seems, more aristo- 
cratic tribe of aborigines. The former, although extremely 
poverty-stricken, despised the reservation Indians and lived 
wholly by fishing along- the Mishicott and Neshoto Rivers. 

Who, if any, of the early French explorers ever touched 
upon what is now Manitowoc County also lies in the realms 
of mystery. Man)^ of them coasted the shores of the lake and 
it may not be impossible that they landed at the mouth of the 
little river, where so natural a harbor was afforded. Mar- 
quette and Joliet, the very first among these adventurers, are 
said to have skirted the lake from the Illinois line to Green 
Bay in 1673 and it is not improbable that their voyage was 
frequently punctuated by landings on Wisconsin soil. How- 
ever that may be, a century passed before the first specific 
reference was made to the reg-ion. During this time, how- 
ever, a remarkable shifting of the Indian population of Wis- 
consin was taking place. The inhabitants of the eastern part 



10 

in the seventeenth century had been Foxes, Sacs and Mas- 
coutins, but in a report to the secretary of war made by Jede- 
diah Morse in 1822 it is said: "Major Swan informed me on 
the authority of Col. Bwyer and an old Ottawa chief, living- 
at Mainitouwauk, the river of the bad spirits, that more than 
a century ag-o (before 1727) the Fox and Sac Indians, who 
were then inhabitants of the country on Green Bay and Fox 
River were conquered and driven away by the Menomonees, 
aided by the Ottawas and Chippewas, that the Menjmonees 
held the country by conquest'and that their title is admitted 
to be g-ood by the Sacs, Foxes, Chippewas and Ottawas." 
This authority, nevertheless, did not seem to extend as fully 
towards the lake as it did westward, for within the present 
limits of the county there was a conglomeration of tribes, 
consisting of Ottawas, Menomonees, Winnebagoes,Pottawata- 
mies. All of them with the sing-le exception of the Winneba- 
goes, were of the Algonquin stock and before 1830 this tribe 
had disappeared from the county and the other tribes had 
coalesced to a g^reat extent. The presence of these aborigines 
in large numbers along the shores had attracted the attention 
of the hardy French "couriers du bois" and it is by one of 
these that the first printed reference to any point in Manitowoc 
County is to be found'. One Samuel Robertson in 1779 under- 
took a voyage on Lake Michigan on the British vessel Felic- 
ity and embodied his experiences in a book called "A Voyage 
On Lake Michigan." On Thursday November 4th of that 
year, while off the present site of Milwaukee he wrote: "The 
Indians also told us that they had sent for Monsieur Fay, 
who is at a place called Twin Rivers, eighteen leagues north 
of Milwaukee; he had two canoes of goods from the commit- 
tee, but he said it was against his orders to go among them, 
and they supposed so as no trader had ever entered at that 
place." This somewhat obscure reference seems to indicate 
that there was an understanding between Fay and the Brit- 
ish, who were then in authority, as indeed had most of the 
French traders in both the war of the Revolution and that of 
1812. This Monsieur Fay is said to have been located at Twin 
Rivers at intervals until 1780. 



11 

The next heard of Manitowoc was in 1795, when the 
Northwestern Fur Company sent one Jacques Vieau, some- 
times known as Jeau Vieau, from Mackinac to establish trad- 
ing- posts at various points on Lake Michig-an. Accompanied 
by his family and a clerk, named Michel de Pelleau, this har- 
dy Frenchman proceeded as far as a point where Two Creeks 
now stands and there, making- a landing- and strapping- their 
packs on their backs, the party marched overland in a south- 
westerly direction to a point, where a little stream, chris- 
tened Mauvais (Bad) Creek, a tributary of the East Twin, en- 
ters that river. On Section 27, of what is now the town of Gib- 
son, a trading- post was erected and an ag-ent left in charg-e, 
after which Vieau detoured to the lake, skirted the shores un- 
til the Manitowoc River was reached and, ascending- it to a 
point near the Kapids, another post was establislred. Then 
resuming- his journey southward he visited the present sites 
of both Sheboyg-an and Milwaukee. The next spring- Vieau 
and his family returned to Mackinac gathering- furs and skins 
enroute. These annual trips were made for many years and 
Solomon Juneau, the founder of Milwaukee, was one of Vieau's 
clerks in 1818. The settlement was of an intermittent char- 
acter, however, and the only important results seems to have 
been the familiarization of the Indian, by contact, with his 
white brother. The Indians were numerous in the reg-ion and 
must have afforded a lucrative field for exploitations. Says 
CoLmel Abram Edwards in "Western Reminiscence", in which 
he described a journey on the lake: "At Twin Rivers and 
Manitowoc the shore of the lake was lined with Indians — , 
near Manitowoc many were out in canoes spearing- white- 
fish". 

At about this time travel beg-an to utilize old Indian 
trails in finding a way from Green Bay to the east and in 
that way many army ofiicers passed throug-h the county. In 
1821 the first tragedy enacted in the county took place, in 
which an American army surgeon was murdered by a savage. 
Dr. Madison, stationed at Green Bay early in that year re- 
ceived leave of absence to visit his family in Kentucky and 
taking- two soldiers with him started for the south. The story 



12 

is told by Col. Ebenezer Childs in Volume V of the Wiscott- 
sin Historical Collections as follows: "When near M^anito- 
woc and ttie soldiers a short distance in front on foot, the 
doctor was shot from his horse, the whole charg-e lodg'ing' in 
the back of his neck. The soldiers instantly returned arid 
found him badly wounded, whereupon one of them mounted 
the doctor's horse and returned to Green Bay for help. A num- 
ber of officers and soldiers started for Manitowoc, but when 
they arrived the. doctor was dead. There were no Indians to 
be seen and they carried the body to Green Bay for inter- 
ment. It was some time before the murderer was taken; he 
was sent to Detroit for trial, tog-ether with another Indian, 
who had killed a Frenchman about the same time. I had to 
g"o as a witness; both Indians were found g"uilty and execut- 
ed at Detroit." The murderer of Dr. Madison was named Ke- 
taukah; he was a Chippewa and no motive was ever ascribed 
for the crime. 

The next known reference to the region was made in 
1825, when Colonel W. G. Hamilton traversed the trail and in 
a description g-iven of his journey he reinarks that there was 
no settlement between Milwaukee and Manitowoc, but that 
there was an Indian villag-e at Manitowoc and one at Two 
Rivers of different tribes, mixed peoples, Chippewas, Ottawas, 
Menomonees andPottawatamies. These villages were again 
mentioned by Morgan L. Martin two years later in descript- 
ions of a journey through the region. These Indians seem to 
have been well disposed, and traded with the travelers. From 
1826 for seven succeeding years two wanderers, Moses Sein 
and Isaac Haertel made annual visits to the mouth of the 
Manitowoc to secure furs and peltries in return for the trink- 
ets and bawbles, so fascinating to the Indian eye. Colonel 
Childs of Green Bay passed through the county in 1827 with a 
drove of cattle designed for use at that post. Five years later 
Joshua L. Boyd was licensed by the Indian agent at Green 
Bay to trade with two tribes residing on the lake and took 
out an outfit worth $117.89. He w^as, however, murdered for 
refusing to give credit to a Chippewa. 

Thus matters stood when in 1833 the Poitawatamies and 




MICHAEL KELLNER 



13 

ivienomonees by the Treaty of Chicag-o deeded away all the 
lands at the mouths of the various rivers emptying- into Lake 
Michig-an. The .Manitowoc Indians were represented by Wau- 
mep^esako, the chief of the mixed tribes at the mouth of the 
river, of whose connection with the early settlers more will 
oe said. The Indians, notwithstanding- the cession of their 
land to the settlers remained in cou'^iderable numbers about 
Manitowoc County, fishing- in the summer and hunting- in the 
winter. In the early thirties also a few, mainly Chippewas, 
beg-an the cultivation of the land near Cato Falls, the women 
raising- meager crops of maize. It was over these Indians that 
chief Waumeg-esako or Mexico ruled, a man of great intelli- 
gence and a sincere friend of the whites. The first perman- 
ent settlers saw little of the aborigines but a few years later 
the latter returned to their haunts and by 1840 were more 
numerous than the whites. The first Indian scare occurred 
in 1842, when it was reported by a drunken squaw that the 
Cato Falls Indians were planning a massacre to take place in 
two weeks. Immediately preparations were made for defense, 
the mill hands armed and bullets molded. A Frenchman by the 
name of Pat Thebieau and E. L. Abbott volun'.eered to act as 
scouts but found nothing suspicious. Finally Chief Mexico 
came into the village of Rapids and reassured the settlers. At 
this time the Indians had not become the phjsicial degenerates 
that whiskey later made them, many of the Pottawatamies be- 
ingof noble proportions. Mexico was greatly respected by the 
settlers and received a medal from the government for settling 
numerous disputes. This medal, which was worth about fif- 
teen dollars, was often pawned by the redskin for necessities 
but was always scrupulously redeemed. The chief was a signer 
in the treaties of Butte des Morts in 1827, and Green Bay, en- 
tered into the following year. Plis picture was painted by an 
Irish artist, George P. Healy, and a copy was presented in 
1857 to the Wisconsin Historical Art Gallery. It shows an 
aged man, clad in the usual garb of a chief, with considerable 
strength of character evidenced in his tawny fac&. The old 
leader died in 1844 and was buried by the settlers with due 
honors in the town of Rapids, at a point overlooking the river. 



14 

The o-atherino- of wild rice was the favorite occupation 
of the Indians during" the forties and early fifties and camps 
along- the rivers were numerous. Then, too, the band of fish- 
ers near Two Rivers eked out their precarious existence, un- 
der the lead of their chief, Old Katoose. These latter aborig- 
ines were often quite lawless, particularly when under the in- 
fluence of liquor and many were the scares they gave the set- 
tlers. In the southwe=;tern part of the county also there was a 
band of Menomonees, under the leadership of a chief named 
Solomon, which maintained a planting ground in Schleswig" 
as late as 1859. Another such cemetery was situated in the 
present town of Gibson on what was later the Smith farm, 
while others were found near Cato and Two Rivers. Across 
the line m Calumet County the Indians were very numerous, 
particularly along- the upper course of the Manitowoc. The 
nearness of the early settlers to these redskins must have 
added strang-e color to the pioneer life of tue county. The 
deadly enemies of the Indians, which led to his g-radual exter- 
mination in Manitowoc County, were three in number, whiskey, 
cholera and smallpox. The cholera attacked the various 
tribes in 1850 and drove many of them out of the county, 
while the indulgence in "fire water," led to a fatal end in 
man}^ cases. All of the eastern Wisconsin tribes left or were 
exterminated in the course of time, except the Menomonees, 
who still have been retained within the bor lersof the state on 
a reservation near Shawano. It must be here remembered 
that the Calumet County Indians were not natives but impor- 
tations from New York, which was also true of the Oneidas 
in Brown County. 

As late as 1862 Manitowoc in common with other Wis- 
consin communities suffered from an Indian scare, so long 
had the redskin been the "bete noir" of pioneer life. It was 
in the darkest days of the Civil War, when gloomy forebod- 
ing's were natural and the scare came on the heels of the news 
of the Indian massacres in Minnesota. It was on the morn- 
ing- of September 2nd, that rumors flew through the county 
that the Indians were coming. The report seemed to come 
from the westward and g-ained credence as it passed from 



16 

mouth to mouth. At the villag-e of Branch where the fright 
seems to have progressed so far as to assume the size of a pan- 
ic it was said that a few miles to the west the redskins were 
mercilessly robbing-, pillaging- and murdering. Families gath- 
ered together their valuables and made haste towards the 
county seat. The terror manifested was something most curi- 
ous and man)' were seized by it despite their incredulity and 
their knowledge that there were none but a few peacable In- 
dians in the vicinity. A few men, scoffing at all fears, re- 
mained in the little settlements, but all the women andjchil- 
dren, even the sick, were transported hurriedly to town. Here, 
too, panic reigned for the influx of the terror-stricken seemed 
to have driyen the inhabitants into a frenzy. The first to 
bring the news of the uprising were settlers from the Branch. 
Although the reports were somewhat discredited, doubt soon 
turned to belief when a boy rushed to town, reporting that a 
comrade had been captured a mile from the village. Prepara- 
tions were then made for defense; some gathered at the Court 
House, while the women prepared boiling water, with which 
to overwhelm the invaders; others spoke of boarding vessels 
and sailing out into the lake, while still others formed com- 
panies to spy upon the enemy. It was one of these parties 
that had frightened the boy, who spread the later alarm, in- 
to believing that a comrade had been captured. This party 
returned, reporting having seen Indians but it was later re- 
vealed that the supposed foes were but another band of skulk- 
ing villagers, searching for the elusive redskins. Reports 
came from Kellnersville of a terrible massacre at that place. 
Several hundred men marched from Manitowoc to the scene 
of carnage but on arriving found it to be a hoax. By this 
time it was asc^ertained that the entire scare had been with- 
out cause and the settlements soon took up their routine ex- 
istence, albeit somewhat shamefaced over the affair. This 
may well form ai; end to a chapter on Indian life in Manito- 
woc County, for in a few years there were none of the race 
left within its, confines. 



CHAPTER llh 



EARLY SETTLEMENT. 



The beg-inning-s of actual settlement in Manitowoc Coun- 
ty date from 1836, but certain events of the year before are of 
importance as explaining- the character of this settlement. 
Four villag-es, Manitowcc, Manitowoc Rapids, Two Rivers 
and Neshoto sprang into existence almost simultaneously and 
the early history of each is replete with interest. The specu- 
lative and expansive tendencies of the year 1835 first broug"ht 
the unsettled regions of northeastern Wisconsin into promin- 
ence. Gold deposits were rumored near Kewaunee and it was 
even sug-g^ested that a metropolis would g^row up in the re- 
region. Three surveyors from Green Bay, Daniel Le Roy, M. 
L. Martin and P. B. Grig-non in 1833 made a cursor}' exami- 
nation of the locality. Two years later a land office was 
opened at that place and A, G. Ellis was deputized to make 
a survey of the reg-ion now included in the county. On the 
sixth of May President Jackson issued a proclamation for 
land sales to be held in Green Bay, which sigfnified the open- 
ing- of all this portion of the state to settlement. The first 
entries in the territory later composing- the county were made 
by William Jones of Chicag-o and Louis Fizette on Aug-ust 
3rd. at what is the present site of Manitowoc city and by 
Francis Leframbois and William Jourdain at the Rapids. 
Fizette sold to C. P. Arndt, also of Green Bay, soon after. 

Said the Green Bay Intellig-encer in its issue of April 9th 
1835: "The Yankees, anticipating- a day of sale have pene- 
trated as far north as the Manitowoc River, thirty-seven miles 
south of this place, seizing- upon all the choice and command- 
ing- mill sites and making- claims. Exploring- parties have al- 



17 

So been on the Manitowoc River recently, where it is prob- 
able that a saw mill and other improvements will be com- 
menced this coming- summer." The speculative mania then 
became rampant, Arndt selling- his recent purchases at $100 
an acre, and many who had never visited the region invested 
heavily. It is from this time that the Jamieson heirs, who 
laid claim to certain lands in the cit^? and county in 1896^ 
based their title, one Lieut. Jamieson having- purchased con- 
siderable property at the time. The Green Bay Intellig-encer 
in speaking- of this speculative tendency remarked. on' -March 
2nd, 1836, "The principal points now soug-ht are at the Mani-^ 
towoc and Rock Rivers. A year ag-o Milwaukee was suspect- 
ed of having- some pretensions to its own site but we have 
done speaking- of that place now. The speculators are now 
past that place. It is old. The rush now is down the lake. 
Sac Creek (Port Washing-ton), Sheboyg-an and Manitowoc 
are at this moment all the rag-e. Within a month the lands 
at Manitowoc have risen from $10 to it'250 an acre and they 
are talking- of a communication with Fort Winnebag-o." It 
was in the spring- of this year that an actual beg-inning- was 
made at settlement in three places. 

And first as to the founding- of Manitowoc, at^the mouth 
of the river of the same name. The first entry of land in this 
locality had been made, as said before, in 1835, including- all 
of the land, south of the mouth of the Little Manitowoc for 
a distance of three miles and west from the lake to the pres- 
ent line separating the towns of Manitowoc and Rapids. Ear- 
ly in 1836 the firm of Jones, King- & Co., otherwise known as 
the Manitowoc Land Company was formed in Chicag-o. A 
town plat was made of the proposed city by one Alexander 
Martin and hig-h hopes were entertained of its future g-reat- 
ness. The two leading members of this firm were brothers, 
William and Benjamin Jones, and of these the latter is more 
properly the founder of Manitowoc, since he later took the 
Wisconsin property as his share, while his brother remained 
in Chicago, where his holding-s made him immensely wealthy. 
Benjamin Jones was of Massachusetts stock, having- been 
born on July 24 1795, and at the age of sixteen fought in the 



19 

war of 1812. Marrying- in 1825, after some years in the east 
he determined to bring- his family to Chicago, then but just 
founded. He arrived at his destination via the Great Lakes 
on the schooner United States in the fall of 1833 and built a 
house and store on v^rhat is now South Water Street, near 
Dearborn. Chicago then had 3000 inhabitants and the pion- 
eer supported his large family, which consisted of a wife and 
twelve children, by keeping- a small stock of merchandise. 
Speculating in land he laid up a comfortable sum and the re- 
sult was the purchase of Manitowoc land in 1835 and 1836, 
some two thousand acres in extent. The Jones brothers early 
in the latter year determined to realize on their investment 
and accordingly sent up from Chicago a large number of men 
on a vessel, the party arriving on May 5th. The reception 
accorded them by the dark pine forests and storm-tossed 
waves seemed to inspire a sentiment not unlike terror in their 
souls. By night out of the party but five remained. Some 
walked to Sheboygan settlement by way of the beach and 
thus in the course of time found their way back to Chicago, 
while others struck off on the Indian trail to Green Bay. 
Three of the men, however, E. L. Abbott. Mark Howard and 
a third by the name of Farnham, remained at the place all 
winter, occupying themselves with the construction of a rude 
log- cabin at the foot of what is now Seventh Street and in 
cutting- timber for shipment the next spring-. Before the win- 
ter was over they had cleared away a larg-e tract of land near 
the mouth of the river and then waited for their employer, 
who set out overland from Chicago to visit his new acquisi- 
tions in February 1837. I'he latter part of the journey is de- 
scribed by J. A. Noonan in the Wisconsin Historical Collec- 
tions as follows: "When I started from Milwaukee to Green 
Bay I went with the mail carrier, an Indian half-breed named 
Powell and two or three of the firm of Jones, King- & Company, 
who were going to visit their embryo city, where Manitowoc 
now stands. The mail carrier as well as the Chicago men were 
on runners. A gentleman from Buffalo and myself were on 
horseback. At Sheboygan the only house was a hotel, erected 
by the company owning- the villag-e plat. There was no house 



20 

between there and Manitowoc and the only building's in Mani- 
towoc County were a saw mill and two dwelling-s at Manitowoc 
Rapids, owned by Jacob Conroe. The road was a trail cut out 
the width of a waggon track." Upon their arrival Mr. Jones re- 
warded his faithful workmen by presenting- them with $100 
apiece besides their wag-es and assured them that they would 
be speedily joined by other settlers. Abbott remained in Mani- 
towoc untill 856, marrying- Maria Smith, asister of P.P. Smith, 
this being- the first ceremon3' performed in the count}-, but the 
other two men left soon after. 

The new settlers arrived on the schooner Elwellyn on 
■April 17 1837, about forty all told. Among them were Oliver 
C. Hubbard and D. S. Mung-er with their families, Moses 
Hubbard, and others. Included in the party were the four in- 
fant sons of O. C. Hubbard, Giles, Harvey, Frank andErwin. 
All of the pioneers were hardy persons and soon accustomed 
themselves to the arduous duties of their new life. They lived 
at first in the rough log- house that the laborers had built the 
fall before but soon more substantial quarters were secured, 
the Mung-ers building- a home just south of the present site of 
the M. E. Church, while the Hubbard family also found per- 
manent quarters. On July 17 the schooner Oreg-on arrived 
from Chicago with the family of Benjamin Jones, consisting- 
of his wife, son Alonzo and two daug-hters, together with Per- 
ry P. Smith, a brother-in-law, who had arrived in Chicago 
from New York State the year before. Mr. Jones soon had 
a comfortabledwelling ready for his family at the corner of 
York and Seventh Streets and the little settlement was soon 
in a prosperous condition. The old boarding house used by 
the settlers continued to stand as a landmark untill887, when 
it was destroyed by fire. By the end of the summer there was 
a clearing made between Chicago Street and the river and 
oats had been sown early in the spring, some fifty acres be- 
ing under cultivation. The first white child born in the coun- 
ty made it appearance at the home of D. S. Munger in Sep- 
tember 1837. The infant, who was named Charles, remained 
in the village until 1846, when with his parents he moved 
away, being now a resident of Orleans, Indiana. One month 




H, F. HUBBARD, 



22 

later a daughter was born to B. Jones, who became the wife 
of Dr. Blake, a prominent surg"eon. 

Althoug-h the Rapids settlement was much larger, the 
residents at the mouth seemed confident of the future until 
the effects of the panic of 1837 commenced to be felt. The 
speculative values immediately disappeared, the mill which 
B. Jones had built was obliged to suspend and general disas- 
ter seemed imminent. One by one the settlers moved away, 
only the Jones, Hubbard and Hunger families remaining. 
Other places were also affected and Manitowoc gained one 
inhabitant by the arrival of Peter Johnston, who had lived at 
Kewaunee, which place was now deserted. In 1838, however, 
lumber shipments were resumed, schooners being loaded and 
sent to Chicago. The early forties witnessed little if any 
growth at Manitowoc. In fact Two Rivers until 1850 seemed 
to have much more of a future. Mr. Jones left his colony for 
a year and a half about this time, during which interval P. P. 
Smith attended to his interests. Increase A. Lapham in his 
book "Wisconsin," published in 1844 speaks of Manitowoc as 
a village of twenty or thirty buildings, and mentions it as a 
depot for lumber sent down from the mills above. However a 
pier and a lighthouse had been erected and, as he remarks, 
*'The interests and safety of lake navigation require a per- 
manent harbor at this point, which it is hoped will soon be 
constructed by the general government." After 1845, how- 
ever, prospects seemed to brighten. Immigration began to be 
resumed, sturdy New England lu^nbermen and English set- 
tlers coming first. In 1846 Perry Smith brought the first 
stock of groceries to the little settlement, building a store 
where the Smalley Manufacturing Companj^'s plant now 
stands. By this time the German influx had commenced and 
a large number of that nationality settled in the little vil- 
lage, making it assume more and more importance as the 
years passed. Said the Green Bay Advocate on August 4th 
1847: "Manitowoc has many claims as a lake port but is far 
too modest in urging them, or perhaps as we suspect, is 
shrewdly holding back and mustering energy for a prodig- 
ious and successful heave upward. Emigration has begun to 



23 

seek that point and with the fine country, climate and other 
material advantages, its chances are among the first of the 
towns on the west shore". But it was still some years before 
the little town at the mouth of the river gained sufificient im- 
portance to become the county seat. 

Of the settlements of the county that at Manitowoc Rap- 
ids was the earliest in point of time. Here eastern prospect- 
ors in 1835 looked over the grounds and the result was the 
purchase of many hundreds of acres in that year b)'^ Jacob 
W. Conroe and later by his brother John G. Conroe, both of 
Middlebury, Vermont. The former reached his new holdings 
by way of Green Bay in the spring of 1836, taking with him 
about thirty men to build a mill. The lumber for this struct- 
ure was purchased at twenty dollars a thousand, plus five dol- 
lars for freight from Chicago and landed at the mouth of the 
river. It happened that at Green Bay during the fall Conroe 
met Captain J. V. Edwards, who had just arrived from New 
Jersey and was desirous of going to Chicago. When he heard 
that there was a schooner about to sail for Manitowoc with 
supplies for Conroe's mills he shipped on board, thinking to 
get nearer to his destination and upon reaching Manitowoc 
in November was induced by Mr. Conroe to remain for a time, 
at least, in his employ. It was Mr. Edwards who built the 
scows which enabled lumber to be taken from the Rapids out 
into the bay and to be loaded into vessels for transportation, 
thus being the first ship builder in the county. Jacob Con- 
roe's brothers, Horace, John and Levi soon joined him in his 
enterprises as did also Mrs. Conroe, who was the first white 
woman in the county. The mill was well started by the spring 
of 1837 and continued to run through the panic period, al- 
though it was the only one to do so. Horace Conroe endeav- 
ored to cultivate five or six acres about a mile north of the 
mill during the summer, but gave up in disgust and returned 
to Vermont a year later. Chief among the lieutenants of the 
Conroes was Pat Thebieau, a Frenchman, who had been at 
the Rapids from the very first and continued to reside there 
until his death in the eighties. Walter Mcintosh, Francis 
Flinn, William McCrady and Joshua Burns came up from 




PERRY P, SMITH. 




MRS. PERRY P, SMITH, 



Sheboyg-an in 1837 and joined the little colony. Another mill 
was soon started, it being the enterprise of one J. L. Thayer. 
On May 1, 1837 a party consisting- of Thayer, Pliny Pierce, H. 
McAllister, Samuel Martin, Joshua Sequoin, William Hol- 
brook, Joseph Sequoin and wife, Frank Pugh, C. Severin. Amos 
Robier, Deacon Lyman, John B. Oas, B. Doyle, Jessie Bur- 
nell and a Mr. Wheat started from Waddington, N. Y. with 
Manitowoc County as their destination. Reaching Detroit 
they chartered a boat to carry them and their belongings to 
Green Bay, from whence they tramped three days along the 
Indian trail, finally arriving- at the Rapids. Pushing up the 
river they soon after constructed a mill and a log boarding- 
house, calling- the settlement Thayersville, the property being 
owned by the firm of Thayer, Rouse and Thompson. The 
little settlement numbered about twenty souls. The effects 
of the panic were very destructive upon the enterprise, how- 
ever. Thayer became bankrupt and all the settlers gradually 
disappeared except McAllister and Pierce, who were given 
lands for their compensation. The former immediately went 
to farming and became the first actual agriculturist of the 
county, a fair crop of oats being raised in the fall of 1838. 
The first wheat ground into flour came from his farm, it being 
transported to Green Bay for that purpose. Joseph La 
Counte, who came to the Rapids in 1837 and worked with 
Thayer, also did some farming, planting potatoes, which, 
however, proved to be no larger than nuts. Another early 
settler was E. Lenaville, who resided near Branch. The win- 
ter of 1837-1838 was one of great hardship; the flour in the 
settlement became moldy and the pioneers were obliged to 
live largely on salt fish with an occasional haunch of venison. 
In the fall of 1837 Mr. La Counte's family joined him, com- 
ing up from Milwaukee on the schooner Jessie Smith and in 
the next summer Pliny Pierce went back east and brought 
his wife and children, Alonzoand Jerome, both of whom have 
since resided in the county. He traded the Thayer lands for 
a mill site above the Rapids and soon built the Pierce mill. 
In succeeding years he constructed another mill at Coopers- 
town, which was later sold to W. H. Bruce of Green Bay, fin- 



ally becoming the Aldrich mill. Oliver C Hubbard removed 
from Manitowoc to Rapids in 1839, where he built a house 
and soon after eng-ag-ed in the business of making- sash, doors 
and blinds, using- a part of the Conroe mill. In 1847 he built 
a mill of his own near the Rapids, which he continued to op- 
erate until his death in 1855. The mill at Thayersville was 
soon reopened, John G. Conroe having a large interest, and 
by him it was run for four or five years, after which it was 
owned and operated by H. H. Champlin, still later passing 
into the hands of Wyman Murphy and being known as Mur- 
phy mill. In these early years the Rapids was easily the cen- 
ter of industry and life in the county and consequently it was 
there that the county government had its seat. The Conroes 
sold out and left the village in 1845. Levi died of consump- 
tion at Racine in 1850, while his brother John continued in 
business in the same city until 1855, when he too died, at the 
age of forty-five. Said the Racine Advocate: "To the world 
at large Mr. Conroe was a rough, stern man, but those who 
knew him best recognized the kind heart beneath that out- 
ward garb and the poor and distressed never appealed to him 
in vain." From this time, although some new blood was re- 
ceived by immigration, the Rapids continued to decline and 
by 1850 had been distanced by Manitowoc, which three years 
later became the county seat. Jacob Conroe, the founder of 
the settlement, returned to Vermont in later years, where he 
spent the reclining days of his life. 

The third settlement to be considered is that at Two Rivers. 
Here another element, besides lumbering, that of fisheries 
enters into the story of its foundation. The first entries on the 
present city site were made by D.^ Wells, Jr., of Milwaukee, 
Morgan L. Martin, of Green Bay and S. W. Beal, of Fond du 
Lac, in September, 1835. In the same year a Frenchman, 
Oliver Lougrine, who was ordinarily called J. Lonzo, entered 
320 acres for settlement. This man, however, did not defin- 
itely locate upon the land until late in the next year, when he 
was employed by Robert M. Eberts, Judge George Lawe and 
John P. Arndt, of Green Bay, who bought up the site, and 
erected a mill with which to take advantage of the water 



power afforded by the Mishicott and ISteshoto rivers, tlie strtic= 
ture being- completed in the spring- of 1837. Lumber was 
plenty, the hemlock forests near by affording- an almost inex- 
haustible supply and by the end of the year fully forty people 
had g-athered at the hamlet. It was in the same year that 
Captain Edwards started a fishery at Two Rivers in a small 
way, walking- to Green Bay to g-et the twine for his seines. 
Taking- with him a man from the Rapids, his son Henry, 
then thirteen years old and P. P. Smith, he established him- 
self on the shore and dropped his seines about half way be- 
tween Manitowoc and Two Rivers. The first haul broug-ht 
him ten barrels of the finny tribe and this success determined 
him to follow the business for a livelihood. But others were 
on the field also during- the same year. J. P. Clark, a Detroit 
fisherman, arrived in Wisconsin at about this time and enter- 
ed fishing- sites c:t several places along- the shore, including- 
Two Riyers and Whitefish Bay. Later he sent twenty men 
to the former place on the schconer Gazelle and a reg-ular 
business was beg-un. Captain Edwards was then taken into 
the partnership, he remaining- at the Little Manitowoc while 
the Clark camp was fitted out two miles north of Two Rivers. 
Clark's schooner visited the place monthly, loading- a cargo 
and carrying- it to Detroit and returning promptly with sup- 
plies. Fishing- was carried on entirely by seines, varying- in 
leng-th from forty to one hundred and sixty rods, the nets 
being- set from boats and beings hauled in by means of wind- 
lasses. The business was a profitable one, since the catches 
were larg-e, one haul bringing- in fish sufficient to fill 175 bar- 
rels, holding- two hundred pounds apiece, the annual catch at 
all of the Clark camps being- about 2,000 barrels a season. The 
product sold in Detroit at that time for twelve dollars a barrel. 
J. P. Clark, himself, moved to Whitefish Bay in 1838 but con- 
tinued to look after his interests at Two Rivers until four 
years later when his brother, Isaac C. Clark, carried it on, the 
pursuit being- profitably continued until 1853. J. Lonzo ran 
the Two Rivers mill until the results of the panic of 1837 
compelled it to be shut down. For some time it was idle but 
in 1843 Andrew J. Vieau took possession of it under the di- 



rection of Judg-e Lawe of Green Bay, who now] owned the 
property. At that time Two Rivers was but a small fishing- 
villagfe of eig-ht or ten houses and about twenty-five inhabit- 
ants. Says Mr. Vieau in an article on the subject: "A part 
oi the time I ran the mill myself but leased it for the most 
part, to Bascom and Wail, in 1844, to Daniel Smith, in 1845, 
to H. H. Smith of Milwaukee, who finally (1847) boug-ht the. 
plant. I also did some trading- with the Indians while at Two 
Rivers." This H. H. Smith was in reality the founder of 
Two Rivers c.nd it is from his arrival in 1845 that prog-ress 
beg-ins. He had been a lumberman on a larg-e scale in west- 
ern New York, but meeting- with reverses he had come to Wis- 
consin to retrieve his fortunes. For six years he eng-ag-ed in 
the lumbering- business, at the end of which time he turned 
towards manufacturing-, forming- the company of Aldrich, 
Smith & Co., the predecessors of the present Two Rivers 
Manufacturing- Company. 

The fourth settlement in the county was that at Neshoto, 
eight miles from the mouth of the West Twin river, where 
there was g-ood water power. An interesting- story is con- 
nected with its foundation. In April 1837, a Mr. Burnham 
of Detroit settled on the land without entering- it or pay.ng- 
for it at the government office. Lumber was ordered to be 
shipped on a schooner from Chicag-o for his mill and in due 
timj arrived. Some of the young- men at Manitowoc, desir- 
ing- to do the pioneer a good turn, trudg-ed to Two Rivers on 
the beach and from thence up the river to Neshoto to inform 
Burnham of the schooner's arrival. He received the news 
stolidly and without a word of thanks, — an ing-ratitude which 
prompted the youths to reveng-e. Knowing- him to be a squat- 
ter, one of them, Howard, hurried to Green Bay with $350 
and had entered in his own name three eig-hty acre tracts on 
which the mill site was located. On his way back he met 
Burnham and oblig-ed the latter to pay $2,000, half in cash 
and half by a note, before he would part with his rig-hts. 
The firm of String-ham & Burnham was formed and before 
winter set in the mill was completed. J. G. Conroe also 
boug-ht up considerable property in that section of the county. 



36 

The Neshoto mill continued to be rUn by the first owners utl- 
til 1841, when it was sold to Frederick Borcherdt, the first 
German settler in the county. He ran the mill for seven 
years, being- in the wilderness with no white neighbors until 
later in the forties, when he induced some Germans to settle 
in that portion of the county. Removing- to Two Rivers in 
1848 he sold the mill to Taylor & Pendleton, who in turn 
soon transferred their interests to Jones & Cooper. The 
village of Neshoto was laid out in 1858, at which time great 
hopes were entertained for its future. 

The population of the whole county in 1840 was 240, in 
1842 263, in 1845 about 600. By the census of 1840 it was 
shown that there were but eleven horses and eighty neat cat- 
tle in the county and the aggregate of all crops raised was but 
a few hundred bushels. In fact it was not until 1847 that 
there were sufficient food stuffs raised in the county to do 
away with the necessity of sending south or to Green Bay for 
the winter supply of flour and dairy products. Said the Mil- 
waukee Sentinel in December, 1848, speaking of Manitowoc: 
"The inhabitants of that region are neither very extensive 
tillers of the soil or producers of beef and pork. The staple 
and principal products of that section are pine and hemlock 
the former of which, when manufactured into boards, consti- 
tutes the most important part of lake commerce and city and 
county enterprise — the lumber trade." The immigration to 
the county was practically nil up to 1845, when a large num- 
ber of New England lumbermen arrived, among them Lyman 
Emerson, H. H. Smith, Daniel Smith and others. Before 
this little advancement in settlement was made beyond the 
four places described in the preceding pages. True, in the 
early forties several taverns were built along the line of the 
Green Bay road, notably that of Joseph Edwards, built in 1841 
near the present site of Cooperstown and that of Joseph Po- 
quin in the present town of Kossuth, established two years 
later, he being the first settler in that township. In 1844 
Daniel Smith founded a settlement at Mishicot, building a 
lumber mill at that place, where there was then good water 
power. The mill was operated for some time by Ira P. Smith, 




O. TORRISON 



31 

who two years later built another. In 1847 the first settle- 
ment within the limits of the town of Cato was made by a 
man by the name of Burns, who was later arrested and con- 
victed on a charg-e of counterfeiting". R. M. Brown settled in 
the same place about the same time but did not remain per- 
manently. In the spring" of the next year the first settlement 
was made in the present town of Gibson by Edward Brown, 
who died two years later. Bj this time Cooperstown had also 
received several settlers, including" Joseph Allen, John Arndt 
and C. King, while Pierce and Bruce built a sawmill there in 
1847. The first settlement in the present town of Two Creeks 
was also made at about this time, P. Rowley establishing" 
himself there in 1842 



CHAPTER IV. 



GROWTH AND FOREIGN IMMIGRATION. 



From 1847 the growth and settlement of the county, be- 
yond the few lumbering- villages, commences and the change 
to the agricultural stage begins to be apparent. This was 
due in large part to the German immigration, induced by the 
political troubles then in progress in that country. As before 
mentioned Frederick Borcherdt was the first German to set- 
tle in the county, coming in the year 1841. Among the other 
early settlers of Teutonic birth were L. Katzmeyer, Ludwig 
Alsweide, Nicholaus and Valentine Meyer and Henry Grube, 
all of whom established themselves in Kossuth before the end 
of 1846 and George Dusold, a Bavarian, who moved to Mani- 
towoc from Milwaukee in 1846 and was employed at the 
Rapids for some months as a tanner under G. Musson, at 
that time county clerk. A year later he moved to Manitowoc 
and was one of the first German settlers on the south side of 
the river. It was in that year that the rush of German im- 
migration first began to make itself felt. In 1846 the popu- 
lation of the county had been 629, while in 1847 it was in- 
creased to 1285. Among the first Germans to arrive were a 
group from Holstein, whom F. Borcherdt had induced to set- 
tle in Mishicott and Two Rivers. Next came fifteen families 
of Saxons, who soon after settled in Mishicott. and then a 
number of Rhenish Prussians, who sought the southern part 
of the county, principally the township of Newton, some forty- 
seven families settling there, including F. Truettner, who is 
said to be the first settler in that town, Frederick Schmitz, 
C. Schmitz, H. Meyer and others. Some of the Prussians 
were induced by C. Esslinger, a Bavarian, who had been in 
America since 1837 and was the Buffalo ag-ent of Jones & 



33 

Allen, to take up their abode at the villag-e of Manitowoc 
and they thus aided to bring- that center into prominence. 
Others went to Kossuth, while many of them "moved to She- 
boyg-an county. A larg-e number of these earlier immig-rants 
were Lutherans. At about the same time (1847) many arriv- 
ed from Lippe-Detmold, being directed from Milwaukee to 
Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties by Frederick Reiniking 
and settling- in the former district, principally in the towns 
of Newton and Centerville, the city of Manitowoc and a few 
in Cooperstown and Kossuth. Many of them were extremely 
poor and worked in the saw mills. A larg-e part of them were 
members of the Reformed Church. The first settler in the town 
of Centerville was W. N. Adams, who had arrived in 1847, 
but in a few months the land was largely taken up by immi- 
grants from Saxony, some of whom were Lutherans, while 
others were Roman Catholics. It will be noticed that this 
early influx of settlement seemed to center in the eastern and 
southern parts of the county. As time went on, however, the 
Germans gravitated westward, notably the Pommeranians, 
who were quite a factor m the early settlement of Cato, 
Franklin, Maple Grove and Rockland. Mecklenburg-ers and 
Hahoverians larg-ely centered in Manitowoc, although many 
from these regions were to be found scattered in various town- 
ships also. Some West Prussians also found their way to 
Maple Grove, Oldenburgers to Liberty and Two Rivers, West- 
phalians to Kossuth and Newton, while Bavarians were scat- 
tered through the county. In 1854 the colony of Badenese, 
mentioned elsewhere, settled in Eaton, founding St. Nazians 
under the leadership of Father Oschwald. A pamphlet on 
Wisconsin's advantages and those of Manitowoc county in 
particular, written by Gustav Richter, was. printed in 1849 
and gained a wide circulation, doubtless being a considerable 
factor in determining the destination of many immigrants. 
It will be seen from the above descriptions how heterogen- 
eous was the nature of the early German settlement, every 
portion of that land being represented, a fact which doubtless 
had most beneficial influences on later development. The 
emigration of the fifties and sixties was largely from the 



34 

northeastern part of that country. This element in the popu- 
lation has always been a strong- one in the county, nearly 25 
per cent of the inhabitants being- of German nationality and 
an even greater proportion of such parentage. 

Another considerable element in immigration, early in 
evidence was that of the Norwegians. The first Norwegian 
resident of the county was Soren Ballensted, who came in 
1843 and who was followed by his brother AUie a few years 
later. In 1848 0. Torrison settled at Manitowoc Rapids, acting 
as a clerk in the mercantile business for some time. In that 
and the next year following tha influx of Norwegians was 
g-reat, many settling in the town of Liberty and Eaton, being 
the first to come to that reg-ion, while others remained in the 
village of Manitowoc. The first settlement in Eaton was by 
a Norwegian, O. Swenson, in 1849 although C. Eaton built a 
sawmill there soon after. Among the early settlers of Liberty 
were J. Stephenson, O. K. Gigstad and K. O. Oppen. As a 
sturdy and law abiding- people they had no equal and much 
of the county's prosperity is due to their efforts. Another 
element in the immigration of the later forties were the Irish. 
The present towns of Maple Grove, Rockland, Cato, Meeme, 
Liberty and Franklin were largely settled by them during 
that period. Among- the early settlers of Maple Grove were 
T. Morrissey. T. Watt and Ava Smith, the last named being 
an Englishman and enjoying- the distinction of having- named 
the township. He built a small house also in 1848 in what is 
now the town of Franklin and soon a large number of Irish 
settlers were grouped there, among them were P. MuUins, J. 
Dc>olan, J. Kirby and also William Playfair, a Scotchman. 
In Rockland D. B. Knapp was the first settler arriving in 1849, 
closely followed by J. Woodcock, L. Cooney and a large 
number of English families. At about the same time a large 
number of English pioneers, including William Eatough, 
James Robinson, C. Hall and J. Squirrel settled in Kossuth 
and the northern part of the town of Manitowoc. The north- 
ern part of Meeme was almost entirely an Irish community. 
The town was first settled by H. Edson in May 1847, he hav- 
ing been formerly a resident of Rapids, and among the early 



35 

Irish settlers were D. Nag-le, Peter and Henry Mulholland 
J. Doolan and P. O'Shea. Scotch and Eng-lish were scattered 
through the count in smaller numbers, most of them arriv- 
ing- between 1848 and 1853. French Canadians also came to 
the county and settled in and about Two Rivers. 

The census of 1850 showed the population to be 3,720 of 
which 1378 were of German, 246 of Norwegian, 175 of Irish, 
129 of British and 165 of Canadian birth, while there were in 
all 255 foreigners from other European states in the county. 
Of the native born inhabitants 409 were of Wisconsin and 
376 of New York birth while 742 came from other states. 
The tremendous gain of 200 per cent, in numbers since 1847 
shows the extent of immigration and also explains much of 
the activity of the later years. The division of the popula- 
tion among the then existing townships is also of interest, 
being as follows: — Cooperstown 84, Centerville 210, Manito- 
woc 766, Rapids 966, Meeme2l0, Newton 522, Two Rivers 924. 
It was in 1850 that the first scourge of cholera broke out in 
the county. The disease had been in evidence in Milwaukee 
the year before and it was in August of the following year 
that it appeared in Two Rivers. On Sunday August 5th, 
the Indians at that place had been having a celebration; the 
next day many fell sick and six died. Six more succumbed in 
another twenty-four hours and the bodies were hastily buried, 
all in one pit. Within a week the little settlement received 
three distinct shocks and out of three hundred people then 
living there fifty died while man}' more were taken ill. H. 
H. Smith, the father of the village, was himself stricken with 
the disease and a son died, as well as eight of his mill hands. 
The last shock occurred on Monday August 13th, when a boat 
was expected, upon which most of the surviving settlers pre- 
pared to embark. Its arrival was, however, dela3'ed three 
da3^s and as soon as it reached the dock, a stampede occurred, 
Mr. Smith furnishing the funds for the exodus of many of his 
emplo3'ees, most of whom sought refuge at Sheboygan. The 
disease also spread to Manitowoc, where twenty two settlers 
died and two Indians living near the Rapids also succumbed 
and were left unburied until E. F. Hubbard and Lyman Em- 



36 

erson volunteered to inter the corpses. On September 4, 1850 
H. H. Smith had a notice, dated at Two Rivers, placed in the 
Sheboyg-an Mercury, which read as follov^^s: "No new cases 
of cholera have occurred at this place for the last ten days. 
It may now be considered as healthy and all absent from the 
place may return with perfect safety." It was, however, sev- 
eral years before the villagfe reg-ained its former position. 
Four years later another siege of the plague was encountered 
and this time proved particular!}' virulent on the north side 
of the river at Manitowoc. The epidemic lasted four weeks 
and many died, including Judge Ezekiel Ricker and District 
Attorney James L. Kj'le. The cemetery was then on Park 
Street and many were the new graves dug during those few 
terrible days. Doctor Preston was the only physician in the 
village and his faithful and wearing service during the panic 
was long remembered. Several also died of the disease in 
Kossuth and other portions of the county at this time. A vil- 
lage board of health, consisting of D. A. Reed, F. Langen- 
feld, G. Dusold, K. K.Jones, P. Glover and E. R. Smith, were 
appointed in July, but were unable with the means at hand 
to do much in combat of the deadly disease. 

The g-rowth of the county in population, so rapid from 
1847 to 1850, continued unabated in the succeeding- years. By 
1855 the county numbered 13,050 inhabitants, again of 10,000 
in five years. The influx of settlement was mainly made up 
of Germans, although many of the immigrants were Irish, 
Norwegian, Scotch and English. Then, too, another element 
was added by the entrance of the Bohemians on the field. 
The first of this race to come to the count)^ was Michael Kell- 
ner, who purchased a home in the western part of the ti)wn of 
Kossuth in 1846. After working for some time as a tanner in 
Green 'Bay, spending an occasional Sunday at home, he built 
a tannery of his own at whatlatei became Kellnersville, later 
adding a mill and store to his property. In 1852 fifteen Bo- 
hemian families settled there and soon after a Catholic church 
was started. A few years later another colony of Bohemians 
was established in the southern part of Kossuth and after a 
time large numbers of that race found their way to various 



37 

parts of the county, notably Gibson, Two Creeks, Coopers- 
town and Manitowoc Rapids, A number of Welsh settlers 
also established themselves in the southern part of Meeme 
shortly before 1855. During- the early fifties the first inhab- 
itants of the present town of Schleswig- made a settlement, 
among- them being- D. Able, after whom the town was in its 
first years of existence named and others. The villag-e of 
Kiel dates from 1856, at which time the founders, H. F. Bel- 
itz and F. R. Gutheil purchased a larg-e part of the present 
site. Clarks Mills was also established in the early fifties, 
the villag-e g^rowing- up around the mill built there by Ira 
Clark. To show the rapidity of g-rowth of the county's popu- 
lation it may be remarked that in 1854 three steamers alone 
broug-ht two hundred immigrants from Buffalo. Accompany- 
ing- this growth in settlement there was also a remarkable 
increase in the amount pf agricultural products raised in 
Manitowoc, the wheat crop alone rising from 214 bushels in 
1849 to 38415 bushels in 1855. 

Villag-e life was also prog-ressing during- this period. 
Manitowoc by 1855 had 2185 inhabitants, of which 1385 were 
of foreign birth. This was divided as follows: First ward, 
1507, Second ward, 678, showing- that the north side had by 
that time lest its earlier ascendency. The depression in the 
lumber trade, which the market experienced in 1851 and 1852 
did not seem to affect local prosperity to any g-reat extent and 
trade in many commodities showed a rapid increase. Even as 
late as 1851, however, the commerce of Manitowoc did not 
equal that of Two Rivers, the exports of the latter place in 
that year being $112,762 while those from Manitowoc were 
S72,122, the imports from Two Rivers being- $106,721, while 
those into Manitowoc amounted to $115,010. This fact was 
larg-ely due to the increasing- industrialism at Two Rivers. 
Cyrus Whitcomb and Rufus Allen had organized the Wiscon- 
sin Leather Company in 1850 and an extensive tannery under 
the manag^ement of the former was soon in operation. In 
lumber also Two River's exportation was almost double that 
of Manitowoc, while that of shingles was about four times as 
larg-e. • Said J. Greg-ory in his book, Industrial Resources of 



38 

Wisconsin, published in 1853; "The lumber trade of Two 
Rivers must be considerable, when at a very early season 
5,500 log's have been got out, ready to float down the river. 
When sawed, these will make ten million feet of lumber. 
Shing-les and cedar posts to an enormous amount have been 
boug"ht for the Chicag-o market, which depends entirely on 
other states for its supply of lumber." The population of the 
town of Two Rivers was 1852 in 1855, double that in 1850, 
althoug-h of course a part of this increase was outside the 
villag-e, which at this time had not been setoff from the town. 
On the other hand the villag-e of Rapids had ceased to grow, 
the whole township gaining- but 78 inhabitants in the five 
years elapsing between censuses. Neshoto, however, still re- 
tained its importance, the exports in 1854 from that village 
being 3,500,000 feet of lumber, 50,000 feet of lath, 400,000 feet 
of pickets, 850 cords shingle bolts, 24,000 railroad ties and 
700,000 shingles. Mishicott also thrived, the mills of Messrs. 
Smith and Sprague doing a pro-^perous business. Branch 
was one of the villages that grew rapidly at this period, too, 
the mills of Charles McAllister and K. Lenaville being thriv- 
ing institutions. The former was sold to the firm of Lee & 
Cain in 1854. A.t about this time mills were built at several 
other places in the county, and in 1853 the largest of these 
plants, that of B. Jones & Compan}-, was constructed at Man- 
itowoc, it employing fifty men. 

The county cannot be said to have changed from a lumber- 
ing to an agricultural community until at least 1865. While 
of course before this time the farm land had gradually acquir- 
ed greater and greater extent, the lumbering industry still led 
in point of financial returns and the county accordingly con- 
tinued to be regarded as a source of supply. Thus from 1855 
to 1860 the number of mills increased .argely and many settle- 
ments grew up around them. This was true at Reedsville, 
where Klingholz, Reed and Stupecky built a mill in 1856 
and at Cato where Lyon and Chamberlain started a similar 
enterprise. Other mills w^-re started at Branch by Pierce and 
Slye, at Meeme by Weeks & Co., while Pierpont, Hall & Com" 
pany bought up the Taylor and Pendleioii interests at Two 



39 

Rivers, making- them one of the largest lumber dealers in the 
county. The depression in the lumber trade in 1858 some- 
what affected the county, but nevertheless a large increase in 
the amount of exports was noticeable all through the fifties, 
the county being the ninth in the state as regards this indus- 
try. In 1857 the total exportation of the product was 31,400,- 
000 feet, valued at $314,000, while as late as 1865 the exports 
of Two Rivers alone amounted to 12,255,737 feet. The tim- 
ber supply was being rapidly depleted, however, and thus it 
was not many years before mill after mill ceased running and 
as time passed, only a few vestiges of the former industry re- 
mained. 

Manitowoc County's population in 1860 was 22,412, the 
g^ain since 1855 having been somewhat smaller than in the 
preceding five years. Nearlj- one thousand of this increase 
had been in Manitowoc village, which now had a population 
of 3065, divided between three wards of 1051, 1109 and 905 in- 
habitants respectively. Two Rivers gained somewhat 
more slowly, registering 1340 inhabitants in its two wards. 
Large gains had been made in vaiious of the rural townships 
also, notwithstanding- many had been decreased in size by the 
setting off of new ones. In ten years also the acreage in im" 
proved lands had increased from 1122 to 26,177, while that of 
unimproved farm land had also risen from 6927 to 40,936, the 
total valuation reaching $801,102 in 1860 in comparison with 
$49,500 in 1850. Wheat was the leading product and accord- 
ing to the census of 1860 the total yield was 135,147 bushels, 
betokening a remarkable agricultural growth. Yet the fact 
that the- county was largely in its original state is proved by 
the abundance of wild game, bears and deer being shot with- 
in a few miles of the lake shore hamlets. Due to the course 
of the war the increase of population from 1860 to 1865 was 
small, being but 4330, the inhabitants of the county in the 
latter year numbering 26,742, the village of Manitowoc in- 
cluding 3398 and that of Two Rivers 1300. But notwithstand. 
ing the war material progress here, as elsewhere at the North 
continued unabated. It wars at this period that the villag-e 
of Two Creeks was founded due to the establishment of a tan- 



40 

nery by G. Pfister & Co., at that place. The villag-e of Kiel 
also prospered but seemed to be much more tributary to She- 
boyg-an than to Manitowoc markets, due to better transpor- 
tation facilities. Another Schleswig- village, Rockville was 
also established, a grist mill being located there. In fact the 
g-rist mill at this time took the place of the lumber mill in 
many settlements, several being constructed in Manitowoc, 
Two Rivers, Mishicott and Rapids. In 1866 the village of 
Centerville was given birth, largely from the fact of the erec- 
tion of a brewery by C. Scheibe, and the erection of a pier 
two years latter. Grimms station also dated from this period 
as does Tisch Mills. A large number of Bohemians and Nor- 
wegians poured into the county in the sixties and in the lat- 
ter part of the decade the Poles commenced to arrive also, 
settling most largely in the southwestern part of Manitowoc, 
the village of Two Rivers and in the towns of Newton and 
Two Rivers. By 1870 the county's population had reached 
33,369, of which 5168 was credited to Manitowoc and 1365 to 
Two Rivers, the latter place having received hardly any in- 
crease in ten years. 

By 1875 the population of the county had increased to 
38,456, a gain of over five thousand in five years. A large 
part of this growth was in the urba i communities, the popu- 
lation of Manitowoc being 6724, and that of Two Rivers 1951 
the increase being largely due to increase in manufacturing 
and the new railroad facilities offered by the Milwaukee. 
Lake Shore and Western. The latter also increased the im- 
portance of the little hamlets that happened to lie along its 
line, including Centerville, Newton, Branch. Cato, Grimms, 
Reedsville, and Pine Grove. Kiel was also given a healthy 
impetus by the Milwaukee and Northern, which was 
built at that time. In 1875 fully one-half of the population 
were foreign born although this percentage declined in later 
years. St.ange to say the years 1875-1880 witnessed a de- 
crease of 1050, the census of the latter year showing a popu- 
lation of 37,506. Most of this falling off was due to the 
movement westward on the part of the American settlers 
from various of the rural portions of the county. But the ur- 



41 

ban centers suffered also, Manitowoc losing- 357 inhabitants, 
althoug-h Two Rivers gained a few, her population in 1880 
amounting- to 2052. Manitowoc suffered because of the re- 
moval of the railroad shops. Nevertheless by 1885 she had 
recovered herself, then having- 6881 inhabitants. Two Rivers 
also g-ained, reg-istering- an increase of 512, while the county's 
population had increased to 38,692, althoug-h the mig-ration 
westward continued. Many of the farms thus left idle were, 
however, bought up by foreig-n immig-rants and the sum total 
of agriculturists was n)t decreased. Between 1885 and 1890 
another decrease in the county's population was noticeable, it 
falling off to 37,831. although the inhabitants of Manitowoc 
and Two Rivers had increased to 7710 and 2870 respectively. 
This shows the decline of the agricultural community in a 
marked way. Nevertheless the amount raised was constant- 
ly increasing, while the horticultural and dairy interests be- 
came increasingly profitable. By 1895 the county was again 
seen to be gaining, the population being 40,802, most of this 
increase taking place in the two cities, Manitowoc having ac- 
cording to this census 9427 inhabitants and Two Rivers 3593. 
The gain continued in the succeeding five years, the last cen- 
sus of the nineteenth century giving the county's population 
as 42,261, of which the city of Manitowoc included 11,786 and 
Two Rivers 3784, while the villages of Kiel and Reedsville 
numbered 924 and 528 inhabitants respectivel}'. The city of 
Manitowoc has expanded above all as a commercial and not 
as a manufacturing center. Two Rivers, on the other hand, 
has pursued the opposite line of developement, its manufac- 
tured products being great in quantity and of wide exporta- 
tion. A C3mparative table of the products of the county ac- 
cording to each census will be found in appendix "A". Of 
the growth of the county's commercial and manufacturing in- 
terests the story is told later. 



CHAPTER V. 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 

Before a sing-le white settler had made his habitation 
within the present confines of the county of Manitowoc it was 
traversed from north to south by many a pioneer. This was 
true because of an Indian trail, which existed as early as the 
twenties from the Milwaukee trading- post to Green Bay. 
Later, when a regfular mail carrier was placed on the Green 
Bay route, at times the Manitowoc road was used and some- 
times that west of Lake Winnebag-o. With the influx of 
settlement this trail was more and more utilized and naturally 
it occurred to the settlers that the road should be improved. 
It was by this way that the Conrocs secured their men and 
supplies from Green Bay. The condition of the thoroug^hfare 
in 1837 is described by a traveler in the Collections of the 
Wisconsin Historical Society as being most crude and unsat- 
isfactory. For military reasons it was deemed advisable for 
a United States road to be built and reports were ordered from 
the government engineers as to the practicability of the im- 
provement, upon resolution from Delegate Jones in Congress 
on December 26, 1836. Captain Cram in hisreport of January 
30, 1840 recommended the continuance of the project, then 
already beg-un. J^ He described the trail as the principal mail 
route east and south from Green Bay and told how the mail 
was carried on foot three times a week from that place to 
Milwaukee, a distance of 114 miles, remarking- that it took 
four days to carry it from Green Bay to the southern boundar}' 
of the state. Fifteen thousand dollars was appropriated for 
the project in 1838, but it was not drawn upon until the next 
year due to difficulty experienced in surveying the route. Said 
Captain Cram in his report of 1840; ''This road has been locat- 
ed nearly all the way throug-h the greater part of its length, 



43 

construction has commenced and it is expected that the con- 
tracts for cutting- and clearing- the road will be completed by 
the first of January next (1841)" The orig-inal estimated 
cost of the road entire from Milwaukee to Green Bay was 
S4S,381, that of the section between Sheboyg-an Falls and 
Manitowoc Rapids, twenty nine miles in leng-th, including- 
the building of f)7 bridg-es and culverts, being- $5941.85, while 
that of the section between Manitowoc Rapids and Green Ba}', 
thirty-four miles in leng-th and necessitating- 34 bridg-es and 
culverts was $6774.71. At first there was no settlement be- 
tween these two points and it was impossible before the road 
was improved to drive a two-wheeled vehicle north of Milwau- 
kee. When completed the road was the principal means of com- 
munication by land to the outside world and upon it all mails 
were carried. It was not a pretentious hig-hway. being- but 
four rods wide and banked in the middle to the width of but 
one rod. Due to mismanag-ement much work was wasted, 
planks lying- on the side of the road rotting-, when they should 
have been used in the road itself. The bridg-es, too, were not 
completed as required by the estimates. Settlement g-radu- 
ally spread along the thoroug-hfare but at first it was slow, 
as late as 1846 the only stops on the section between Rapids 
and Green Bay being- a little tavern at French Creek and two 
taverns, kept by Joseph Alle and Clifford King- about half 
way on the route. 

This g-overnment enterprise, important as it was, could 
not meet the local needs of the settlers and even before it was 
built the latter had taken steps towards securing- lines of com- 
munication. The territorial leg-islature in December of 1838 
passed a bill, whose object it was to lay out and establish a 
road "from the town of Manitowoc on Lake Michig-an to Man- 
itowoc Rapids, thence to Thayer's mills on the best and most 
direct route", and thence to Clifton on Lake Winnebag-o, B. 
Jones. Pliny Pierce and Horace Conroe being- chosen com- 
missioners to lay it out. Althoug-h a roug-h trail connected 
the first two p'aces, the county board also took up the matter 
at its first meeting, and on March 15, 1839, it appointed John 
Watson, Horace Conroe and J. G. Conroe commissioners to 



44 

survey the route. The road was soon built as f^ir as Mur- 
phy's Mills above the Rapids, being- constructed north of the 
river, it now being- known as the River Road. In the same 
year a road was being- considered by the board, from Manito- 
woc to Two Rivers, but was not built for some months. At 
the legislative session of 1839, three territorial roads were 
mapped out, the first being from the mouth of the Manito- 
woc River to Green Bay, B. Jones, P. Pierce and J. G. Knapp 
being- chosen commissioners; the second from Manitowoc 
Rapids to Sheboygan Falls, David Giddings and Charles Cole 
of Sheboygan and Hiram McAllister of Rapids being ap- 
pointed commissioners, and the third from Rapids to the Fox 
River, Horace Conroe being one of the commissioners. The 
first two were made unnecessary by the U. S. Road soon after 
built, although the road was not chopped through to Sheboy- 
g-an until 1843, Joseph La Counte being the contractor. The 
third project never advanced beyond an incipient stage. In 
1839 J. W. Conroe had been appointed county road superinten- 
dent, but at the January meeting- of the board the county was 
divided into three districts, the first under S. C. Chase, the 
second under I). S. Munger and H. McAllister and the third 
under J. G. Conroe. A few months later it was decided to 
build a county road from Two Rivers to Neshoto, thence to 
connect with the United States road, and it was constructed 
under the guidance of R. M. Eberts, S. C. Chase and A. Rich- 
ardson. Roads between Manitowoc and Two Rivers and from 
Manitowoc to the United States road were also built in 1841. 
Then followed a long period of inaction, which the sta- 
tionary condition of the county's population necessitated. It 
was in 1846 that the next action was taken, which commenced 
the history of the second important thoroughfare of the coun- 
ty, the Calumet Road. The leg-islature in February of that 
year appointed Paul Champlin, E. L. Abbott and P. Pierce 
to lay out a territorial road from the town of Manitowoc "to 
intersect at such point or place as such commissioners may 
select or determine, the U. S. road leading from Green Bay to 
Fond du Lac". The survey took place in the fall. Perry 
Smith acting- as one of the party. As a public road the pro- 



45 

ject Yras not pushed, althoug-h Stockbridg-e was fixed as the 
western terminus. In 1850 the legislature incorporated a 
company to carry out the project, known as the Calumet Plank 
Road Company with $100,000 capital, among- the incorporat- 
ors being H. H. Charaplin, A. McNulty, O. C. Hubbard and 
P. Pierce. On Februry 12, 1851, a public meeting was held 
at the Merchants Exchange Hotel and the next month the 
stock books were opened for subscriptions. Although a mail 
carrier was placed on the proposed route during the summer, 
the work of construction was delayed. It was, however, par- 
tially built during that year and A. Baensch, A. McNulty 
and C. Eaton were chosen commissioners to improve it in 1852. 
The legislature of the next year amended the charter so as\o 
permit the towns along the route to assist in building the 
road, and in 1855 the time of completion was extended two 
years, and S. A. Wood, C. W. Fitch, W. Bach and J. Lueps 
were added to the list of commissioners. Chilton residents 
were interested in the project and meetings were held there 
as well as in Manitowoc during the succeeding years. Fin- 
ally in 1856 a fresh incorporation took place, K. K. Jones, G. 
Kremers, T. Clark, H. Berners, and W. Bach representing the 
county and in a few years the latter assumed charge of the 
thoroughfare. 

Another project was launched February 11, 1847, when 
the legislature appointed Evander M. Soper, Loyal H. Jones 
and James D. Doty to lay out a territorial road from Manito 
woe to Winnebago Rapids, later known as Menasha. This, 
too, as a state enterprise, lapsed, and the next year the Nee- 
nah and Manitowoc Plankroad Company was organized by 
Harrison Reed. George W. Lawe, Charles Doty and Cornelius 
Northrup of Neenah and E. M. Soper of Manitowoc as incor- 
porators. The capital stock was fixed at $200,000, made up 
of ten dollar shares and a board of directors were to be chosen 
annually. In that year and again in 1850 Congress was ap- 
pealed to for aid and books were opened for public subscrip- 
tions early in the latter year. By the end of that year five 
miles of the Manitowoc end had been completed, although 
the whole distance was forty miles. A state road was also 



projected to Menasha, via Stockbridge, iti 1850 and D. B. 
Knapp, D. W. Halstead and D. H. Whitney were chosen 
commissioners but the plan did not materialize sufificiently to 
militate against the private enterprise. George Reed was 
made secretary of the latter company and work was pushed 
late into the winter of 1850-1851. The Evening Wisconsin of 
June 10, 1852 contained the following item, "G. Reed, Esq., 
passed through this city Saturday, on his return from the 
east, where he has successfully negotiated the funds of the 
Manitowoc and Menasha Plank Road Company. The road 
will be completed forthwith." It was not, however, although 
towns which it was purposed to traverse were given authori- 
zation to vote aid to the company, and forty men were placed 
at work, a steam mill being erected to furnish the planks. 
The project clashed somewhat with the Manitowoc and Mis- 
sissippi Railroad and George Reed's interest in it was one of 
the reasons leading to discord in the railway management. 
Annual elections were held by the road company, H. McAllis- 
ter being president for some time, but the highway was not 
pushed much bayond the McAllister farm, near the intersec- 
tion with the Green Bay road, although the way opened was 
made a toll road. The thoroughfare, however, was com- 
pleted during the latter fifties by the county through Branch 
Cato and Reedsville, touching several important mills, and 
from time to time commissioners were appointed to see to its 
maintenance, while later a state road from Maple Grove to 
Appleton was made to connect with it. In 1862 the legisla- 
ture reduced the number of directors to three and three years 
later authority to lease or sell the property of the company 
was given. Daniel S. Conley purchased its rights in 1866. 
and maintained the piece of road for many years, but in 1899 
the county board bought the thoroughfare for $4,000, this be- 
ing one of the last toll roads in the county to be purchased. 

In the later forties and eafly fifties other roads were also 
projected and the county built bridges at Two Rivers, Mani- 
towoc and Manitowoc Rapids. Among the former projects 
was the territorial road, authorized in 1848 from Port Wash- 




HENRY MULHOLLAND, Sr. 



47 

ing-ton to Manitowoc, of which E. M. Soper was chosen a 
commissioner, but it was not built at that time. On Febru- 
ary 9, 1850, the Manitowoc and Manitowoc Rapids Plankroad 
Company was org-anized with a capital stock of $10,000, the 
incorporators being- Alden Clark, P. Pierce, O. C. Hubbard, 
T. A. H. Edwards, E. H. Ellis, R. Kling-holz, T. A Baker, 
Martin Heywood, T. Fenton and M. S. Morse. During- the 
next two years this company constructed a plank road on the 
south side of the river, known as the South River Road, it be- 
ing- completed in the summer of 1852 and thus affording- a sec- 
ond means of communication between the two villag-es. It 
later became a county road. In the same year, 1850, the Two 
Rivers and Green Bay Plankroad Company was formed by H. 
H. Smith, C. P. Dag^g^ett, H. C. Hamilton, of Two Rivers, D. 
Smith of Mishicott and four Green Bay men, with a capital 
stock of $100,000. This was considered an urg-ent necessity, 
althoug-h some dispute arose as to where it should connect 
with the U. S. road. The subscription books for this project 
were opened July 15, 1851 and by Aug-ust 1852 nearly $14,000 
had been subscribed, but althoug-h a mail line was established 
between the termini, the company was not successful in its 
projects. In 1850 Assemblyman Malmros had presented pe- 
petitions for a state road between Manitowoc and Two 
Rivers, but this not being- forthcoming-, a private corporation 
was org-anized two years later and a charter secured. The 
promoters were C. W. Fitch, J. H. W. Colby, C. Essling-er, J. 
Edwards, S. A. Wood, R. E- Glover, P. P. Smith, W. Rahr, 
and P. Glover of Manitowoc and C. Kuehn, H. II. Smith, V. 
Kaufmann, A. Lamere and H. C. Hamilton of Two Rivers, 
the capital stock being- fixed at $5,000. A toll road was built 
and maintained, albeit not as well as it mig-ht have been, un- 
til 1876 when the leg-islature authorized its purchase by the 
two towns of Manitowoc and Two Rivers, upon the payment 
of $800. The inroads made by the lake in the nineties upon 
this road, where it crossed the Little Manitowoc, occasioned 
much trouble, the town authorities being- oblig-ed to buiJd a 
breakwater. Four years after the incorporation of the road 
three of its promotors, P. Glover, H. H. Smith and H. C. 



48 

Hamilton joined with Chauncey Gilbert, W. Boot, Alfred 
Smith, Daniel Smith, L. S. House and R. Klingholz in form- 
ing- the Two Rivers and Mishicott Plankroad Company with 
a capital of $10,000, which was maintained as a private enter- 
prise for some years. The year 1852 also witnessed the in- 
corporation of the Manitowoc and Green Bay Plankroad Com- 
pany by James Bennett, A. W. Preston, A.Baensch, O.Koch, 
J. E. Piatt, G. Othersoll, J. H. Jerome, G. Bennett, J. Spen- 
cer, J. C. Leist, H. Riley, J. Praquin, J. AUe and Clifford 
King- of Manitowoc County and H. S. Baird, A. G. Ellis and 
John Day of Green Bay. The purpose was to connect with 
the [old U. S. road and to repair the latter, and the capital 
was fixed at $100,000, which led to the construction of the 
Town Line road. A second corporation of the same name 
was chartered in 1870. among- the promotors being Richard 
Kling-holz of Manitowoc. The charter was repealed, how- 
ever, three years later, this being the last enterprise of the 
kind organized in the county. 

In 1855 H. F. Belitz of Kiel was one of the commissioners 
to lay out a state road from the town of Herman, Sheboyg-an 
county, to Menasha, touching the southwestern part of this 
county. At about the same time S. Blake, R. Wheeler, A. 
Buchanan, Jr., and J. M. Sherwood, were authorized to lay 
out a state road from Depere to Manitowoc and a similar line 
of travel from De Pere to Two Rivers was proposed. A year 
later the North River Road which was extended to Clarks 
Mills was in need of repair and D. B. Knapp, T. C. Cunning-- 
ham and C. Gustaveson were chosen by the legislature to su- 
perintend the reconstruction. As early as 1851 a memorial 
had been presented to that body for a state road from Two 
Rivers to the Door Peninsula and six years later one was 
authorized to be built to Big Sturgeon Bay, S. B. Sherwood 
and F. Walsh representing Manitowoc count}'. In 1859 an- 
other route was authorized from Mishicott to Ahiiapee, Man- 
itowoc being represented on the board of commissioners by 
J. N. Strutherfe and J. Killen. H. Schliehting of Kiel was a com- 
missioner of a state project for connection between Kiel and 
Fond du Lac at about the same time. During- the sixties road 



49 

building" was chiefly directed to schemes in the southwesterly 
portion of the county. On April 15, 1861 the Chilton and 
Manitowoc Plankroad Company was organized by Calumet 
county men with a capital of $200,000 and townships were 
authorized to aid the project. Immediately after the war a 
state road was ordered laid out between Kiel and Manitowoc, 
W. Bach, A. Krieg-er and P. P. Fuessenich acting as commis- 
sioners and another from Manitowoc to Taychedah, via Kiel, 
H. F. Belitz being- one of the incorporators. It was the fail- 
ure of the latter project that caused the incorporation of a 
private company in 1870, the Manitowoc and Kiel Plankroad 
Company by J. Schuette, T. Windiate, R. H. Hoes, H. Bern- 
ers, C. Gustaveson, S. Samuelson, A. Schad and E. B. Treat, 
with a capital stock of $30,000. The days of plank roads and 
private enterprises were soon over, however, and one by one 
these were incorporated by county or township, both these 
units now having full charge and maintenance of all the 
thoroughfares of the county. The Kiel and Sheboygan 
turnpike was the last to be made free, the event occurring in 
1900. 

Closely connected with road building as a means of com- 
munication was the development of the postal service and 
mail routes. As was said before the old Green Bay trail was 
the first mail route in the county. Before 1840 J. G. Conroe 
and later T. Baker were postmasters at the Rapids, then the 
only office in the county, their successors being P. Pierce, O. 
C. Hubbard, J. P. Champlin, E. H. Ellis and E. D. Beardsley, 
who held office during the forties and fifties. In nine months 
of 1840 the total income of the Manitowoc postoffice was only 
$57.56, ot which half went as compensation to the postmaster. 
In 1847 the Manitowoc postoffice was established, J. H. Colby 
being- appointed postmaster. Fraiicis Flinn and Henry Ed- 
wards carried the mail from the south during these early days, 
trudg-ing the weary distance to Green Bay on foot. When 
night overtook Flinn he would pursue his lonely journey with 
a lighted lantern swinging- from side to side, and once he 
made the trip from Rapids to Green Bay and return without 
sleep. He passed away February 22, 1855 at the age of fifty- 



50 

six years, one of the picturesque fig-ures of pioneer days. For 
many years there were but three postofi&ces in the county, 
Manitowoc, Manitowoc Rapids and Two Rivers. Among- the 
first postmasters in the forties at the last named place were 
Andrew J. Vieau and H. H. Smith. One Oscar Burdicke car- 
ried the mail in 1846 from Manitowoc to Two Rivers, his com- 
pensation being- the revenue of the route. In 1846 Meeme 
was added with Henry B. Edson as its first postmaster and 
later in the year Cooperstown also, A. A. Cooper being the 
first official at the office, which was at that time in Brown 
county. With the addition of these two new offices new mail 
routes were made necessary and were according-ly put in oper- 
ation. In 1851 routes from Manitowoc to Green Bay via Two 
Rivers and Mishicott and from Manitowoc to Stockbridge 
were added, while the next summer daily mails were instituted 
by boat from Chicago to Manitowoc. At about the same time 
the government was memorialized to change the Green Bay 
route back to the original road throug-h Francis Creek and the 
line was later re-established. The anxiety of the inhabit- 
ants for mail facilities was manifested by frequent petitions 
sent Cong-ress during the next year, including- requests for 
lines from DePere to Manitowoc, by way of Morrison, Brown 
County, from Chilton to Manitowoc, from Sheboygan to Chil- 
ton by way of Schleswig- and from Mishicott to Door county. 
In the course of time all of these lines and many others were 
established. 

J. H. Colby, Manitowoc's first postmaster was succeeded 
by James h- Kyle, a Whig- appointee, the office being located 
in the store of J. E. Piatt at the corner of North Seventh and 
Commercial streets. James Bennett was Kyle's successor and 
he in turn gave way to S. A. Wood who surrendered the place 
in 1857 to A. Wittmann, President Buchanan's appointee. 
During Wood's administration the office was at the corner of 
Franklin and Eighth streets, but later was removed to the 
present site of the Victoria Hotel. From 1854 the establish- 
ment of postofifices in the count)' was rapid. In June of that 
year P. M. Falrich was appointed the first postmaster at 
Mishicott; in August the Maple Grove post office was opened 



51 

with Joseph H. Cheney as postmaster and in October Branch 
P. O. at McAllister's Mills, W. R. Williams being- the first 
postmaster. In August 1855 Newton P. O. was established, 
John Meyer being" appointed to the place, followed by that at 
Oslo the same year and in January- 1856 by the offices at 
Eaton, Niles, Francis Creek and Centerville. In the next ten 
years offices were opened also at Larrabee, Paquette, Clarks 
Mills, Hika Kasson, Kiel, Mosfield, Neshoto, Reedsville, 
Rosecrans and Two Creeks. The postoffice at Oslo was abol- 
ished in 1860 but re-established ten years later. Among- the 
early postmasters at Two Rivers were B. J. Van Valkenburg-h, 
C. P. Daggett, P. Phillipps and A. Bemis. William Conine 
became postmaster in 1870 and remained so until his death in 
1885. At Manitowoc Charles Esslinger was appointed in 
1861 to succeed Wittmann and held the office twenty-five 
years. At first the office was at the corner of South Seventh 
and Franklin Streets but in 1866 a small building- was erected 
on South Eighth street near the bridge for its occupancy, in 
which it remained until the new brick structure it now occu- 
pies was finished in 1891. As to mail facilities many were 
the complaints in the latter fifties and early sixties. Partic- 
ularly was this true in the winter, when the stoppage of lake 
navigation well nigh shut Manitowoc out of the world. Even 
as late as 1866 but three mails a week were received from 
Milwaukee, one from Menasha and three from Appleton, 
stage lines carrying them. A new line was placed in opera- 
tion to Menasha in 1863 by Thomas Windiate, while Davis 
and More operated the lake shore stage for many years. 

In the latter sixties the postoffices of East Gibson, 
Mann's Landing, Elk, Nero, Prag and Wayside were estab- 
lished, three of which, Prag, Elk and Mann's Landing were 
in later years discontinued, as was also Mosfield P. O. In the 
early seventies the building of the M. L. S. & W. greatl}" in- 
creased mail facilities, the route being at first to Milwaukee 
"ia Appleton. The growth of the newer portions of the 
county also called for the establishment of new offices, in- 
cluding Cato, King's Bridge, Northeim, Kellnersville, Mill- 
home and later Grimms, Greenstreet, Steinthal, Tisch Mills, 



52 

Osman, Louis Corners, St. Wendel, School Hill, Timothy^ 
Rang-eline, Taus and others, some of which were abolished 
after a few years of existence. In 1885 under a Democratic 
administration, A. Piening- became postmaster at Manitowoc 
succeeding" Kssling-er and U. Niquette succeeded Mr. Conine 
at Two Rivers. Postmaster Piening in turn gave way to 
Judg-e R. D. Smart, a Republican, in 1890, but that g^entleman 
died in June, his wife remaining in charge of the office until 
1894. At Two Rivers W. Hurst followed Postmaster Ni- 
quette, giving way to George Wehausen in 1894, who in turn 
resigned in favor of Frank Riley four years later. Free de- 
livery was instituted in Manitowoc on March 15, 1893, three 
carriers being utilized, the number being later increased by 
three. Henry Vits became postmaster in 1894 and after four 
years was succeeded by H. G. Kress. The growth of the lo- 
cal business was very rapid during this later period, having 
increased from $7809.79 in 1889 to $14,326.92 in 1899. Among- 
the new offices established in the count)' during this decade 
were Collins, Eastwin, Zander, Melnik, Stark, Cleveland, 
Valders, Whitelaw, Wells, Menchalville, Clover, Rief, Quar- 
ry and Bleser, On March 15, 1900, the first rural mail de- 
livery in the county was established with John Houg-hton 
as carrier, the route being westerly from the city and south 
of the river. Six other lines were planned and instituted 
within a few months, three diverging from Manitowoc, one 
from Kiel, one from Valders and one from Cleveland. 

Another means of communication, which is of importance 
is the telephone and telegraph. Early in the sixties a tele- 
graph line to Green Bay had been' proposed and partly estab- 
lished but was later abandoned. In December 1864, however, 
the poles and wires for a line to Milwaukee were put in by 
the United States Telegraph Company and the connection 
was made February 1865. The first message was sent by 
Editor Crowley of the Pilot to Editor Robinson of the Green 
Bay Advocate in the following words: ''The Pilot's compli- 
ments to the Advocate and is happy to be connected by 
teleg-raph." To which a reply was made: "Here is to you by 
telegraph. Let the old Advocate and Pilot have a social 



53 

bumper tog-ether. The world moves." Later telegraph lines 
followed the extension of the railroads and soon also tele- 
phone lines were placed in operation, the first being- the Wis- 
consin Telephone Company. When the Bell patents expired, 
however, independent companies were possible and in the 
nineties a system of connections were made, touching nearly 
every village and hamlet in the county, The Manitowoc and 
Western Telephone Company, being particularly energetic in 
this regard. 

Allied to the movements, whose object it was to extend 
means of communication, were those which aimed to reclaim 
the waste swamp lands in the western part of the county. 
These lands were largely in the towns ol Eaton, Liberty, 
Franklin, Rockland and Maple Grove. Much of it was sold 
in the fifties and made tillable by private enterprise but it 
was seen that this was not a rapid or a profitable method so 
the state took a hand. , Certain sums were set apart by it 
from the proceeds of swamp land sales as a drainag-e fund. 
In 1859 this fund amounted to $1575 for the county and the 
average per year was about that sum. The legislature in 
1860 passed an act for the disposal of the fund in the repair- 
ing of roads and bridges under the direction of the county 
supervisors. Two years later drainage commissioners were 
authorized to be appointed for Calumet and Manitowoc coun- 
ties and the funds to be used for draining certain lands desig- 
nated. A year later the swamp lands were granted to the 
county and the supervisors were directed to elect a commis- 
sioner to hold office for four years, he, with the Calumet coun- 
ty commissioner, to superintend the expenditure of the drain- 
age fund. In 1865 this act was repealed and a joint board of 
commissioners from the two counties provided for. Another 
alteration took place in 1866, the legislature granting fresh 
lands to the counties, M. Mahoney and J. C. Eggers being se- 
lected to represent Manitowoc county and W. Watrous Calu- 
met county. The committee met at Clark's Mills on July 11, 
but refused to accept the grant from the state, although it 
was found that about 21,000 acres, worth then only 40 pents 



54 

an acre, mig-ht become areable at a small expense. A year 
later D. B. Knapp, L. Faulhaber and P. Brennan were cre- 
ated trustees of the land in question, tog-ether with O. R. 
Potter and A. Watrous of Calumet county, by whom the lands 
were administered until 1870. Mr. Potter was very active in 
the work and devised extensive plans for the utilization of the 
swamp along- the course of the river. At about this time a 
dam was placed in the river at Cato and this raised the water 
so much that much of the reclaimed land was damag-ed 
g-reatly. The farmers under the lead of Captain Potter tore 
out the dam and this proceeding-, oft repeated, finally induced 
the owners to secure an injunction ag-ainst them. After some 
years, in which unsuccessful efforts were made to buy the 
water power out, a bill passed the legislature authorizing- the 
removal of the obstruction. In 1873 W. Carey succeeded P. 
Brennan as a trustee from Manitowoc county and T. Ker- 
stens of Calumet and A. Piening- of Manitowoc were added. 
New commissioners were chosen in 1874, those from Manito. 
woe being- J. Behnke, J. Franz and Ira Clark, Behnke being- 
succeeded by J. Halloran three years later and J. Stephenson 
being- added in 1878. In 1883 the trust created in the com- 
missioners was terminated by the leg-islature and the lands 
left undisposed of were authorized to be drained and sold, 
power being- g-iven to the commissioners to carry out the pro- 
visions of the act. Since this did not prove an altog-ether 
successful means of disposing- of the subject eig-ht years later 
a bill was enacted, under which those land owners who mig-ht 
be benefited by the drainag-e of lands, could borrow money 
from the trust funds of the state, the act being- applied to 
residents of the towns of Eaton, Cato and Rockland. Finally 
in 1893 it was provided that whenever twenty-five owners 
petitioned for the appointment of a drainage commissioner 
such an officer should be appointed by the circuit judge. 
This drainag-e movement meant much in the development of 
the western part of the county and there are still funds in the 
state treasur3% ready to be devoted to this purpose. 



CHAPTER VI. 



MARINE. 



Situated as it is upon the lake, one of the most import- 
ant phases of Manitowoc county history is that of its harbors, 
lake commerce and transportation facilities. This is particu- 
larly true in regard to the city of Manitowoc, since it may be 
said in all truth that its position on the lake has enabled the 
town to become the thriving- center it now is, and how impor- 
tant has been the result of this natural and advantag-eous 
outlet upon the back country is beyond calculation. The 
subject of marine history, as taken up in this chapter, natur- 
ally subdivides itself in the following- subheads: — Harbor de- 
velopment, transportation facilities and shipbuilding- and 
marine disasters. This line of division, then, will be fol- 
lowed. 

HARBOR DEVEI.OPKMENT. 

There are within the county two harbors, those of Mani- 
towoc and Two Rivers. > Besides these two other points, 
Two Creeks and Centerville, capable of limited development, 
have underg-one some improvement under private initiative. 
Chief among- all, of course, in natural advantag-e is that of 
Manitowoc, situated, as it is, about eig-hty miles north of 
Milwaukee in the recesses of a wide and deep bay, offering- 
safe anchorag-e without artificial protection and occupying- a 
position where boats from the lower lakes beg-in to near the 
shore. Its natural advantag-es were early recog-nized and 
there is no doubt that even in the early thirties schooners 
soug-ht shelter in the bay. That the reputation of the har- 
bor was g-ood from the first, is attested by an extract from a 
letter written to the New York Courier and Express in 1865 
as follows: "I was told last Aug-ust on my approach to this 
place, by an old and experiened navigator of the lakes, Cap- 



56 

tain Chamberlain of the steamer Lady Elg"in, that Manitowoc 
was the only point on the west side of Lake Michig-an, where 
there was any real safety for vessels in a southwest g-ale.'' 
It is not then remarkable that the efforts of improvement 
should have begfun almost coincident with the first settlement 
of the county. 

The messag"e of the first g^overnor of the territory in 1836 
sug-g-ested "the propriety of asking- Cong-ress for an appropri- 
ation sufficient to cover the ex[ enses of surveying- all the ne- 
cessar}' harbors on Lake Michig-an and the construction of 
lig-hthouses and harbors." In answer to this sug-gestion the 
leg-islature did ask Congress in that year (1836) for an appro- 
priation of $25,000 forManitowoc and $6,400 for TwinRivers as 
it was then called. In January 1837 a resolution was presented 
in Cong-ress by Deleg-ate Tweedy, then representing Wiscon- 
sin Territory, requesting- the survey of the "Manitowoc, She- 
boyg-an and loway rivers" and a Senate resolution to the same 
effect was offered later. The result was the report of Eng-i- 
neer John M. Berrien submitted to the War Department in 
October, 1837, and broug-ht before Congress at its December 
session. Manitowoc was one of the five harbors examined 
and of it he said: "I have the honor to transmit to you the 
map and report of the Manitowoc River, together with an es- 
timate for its improvement. The Manitowoc, which ranks 
next in size to the Milwaukee river upon the western shore of 
Lake Michigan, has its source within six or seven miles of 
Lake Winnebago in a low and marshy country. It is occa- 
sionally broken by rapids, as it approaches Lake Michigan, 
but it is supposed to offer by far the most direct and practic- 
able route for communication between the waters of Lakes 
Michigan and Winnebago. The rapids offei no serious ob- 
stacle and above these the stream is represented as deep and 
sluggish. Its valley is fertile and abounds in valuable timber 
of all kinds, especially pine. It empties itself into Lake Mi- 
chigan about twenty-five miles north of the mouth of the 
Sheboygan and is the first point north of it capable of im- 
provement. A reference to the map will show that it is pe- 
culiarly adapted to improvement, compared with mouths of 



57 

streams g^enerally. Its discharg-e is direct and but little ob- 
structed by bars. There appears to be no deposit of any 
amount by the stream; the bar indicated upon the map being- 
formed by the wash of the lake. Should the contemplated 
improvements upon the river be made, rendering- the means 
of communication with Lake Winnebago, its commercial im- 
portance would be much increased, but its value as a refuge 
for the shipping of the lake is alone sufficient to warrant the 
improvements. It is proposed in the accompanying- plan to 
carry the piers into the lake to fourteen feet water, where 
they are strengthened by pier heads. The mode of construc- 
tion, which experience has proved to be capable of resisting" 
all storms upon the lake is minutely represented by the ac- 
companying drawings. Within the piers the channel is to be 
dredged to a depth of ten feet. As no work of any extent has 
yet been made at this point the precise cost of materials is 
difficult to arrive at, but it is believed that those adopted are 
sufficiently liberal. Timber of all kinds is found near at 
hand and in the greatest abundance. I know of no stone 
quarrj in the immediate neighborhood as much search has 
not yet been made, but I have no doubt that, on a more care- 
ful examination, sufficient will be found within a reasonable 
distance." The specifications accompanying this report went 
into details as to the mode of piers to be built, the amount of 
dredging- necessary, the cost of labor, etc., the final conclu- 
sion being- that the entire cost of the improvement at Manito- 
woc would necessitate the expenditure of $82,979.44, while 
similar plans proposed for Sheboygan and Kewaunee were 
even more costly. 

No action, however, resulted from these recommendations 
although memorials and petitions kept pouring in. Deleg-ate 
G. W. Jones on Dec. 28, 1838 presented a memorial to Cong-ress 
for the improvement of the Manitowoc, Twin and Sheboygan 
rivers and on the same day offered a resolution asking- for 
further sui'veys. The only practical result gained in these 
years was the erection of a brick lighthouse near the harbor 
mouth at Manitowoc, constructed in 1840, among- the first 
keepers being Peter Johrison and M, Burlingame, On Jani;-' 



58 

ary 24, 1840, the leg-islature presented an appeal asking- for 
$30,000 for Manitowoc, saying-; "Manitowoc and Sheboyg-an, 
situated north of Milwaukee, are each places of considerable 
importance, possessing- a water power which furnishes three 
or four millions of feet of lumber annually. This lumber is 
all taken on board of vessels by means of lig-hters at g-reat 
risk and expense." The bar at the river mouth g-ave much 
difficulty and in 1843 P. P. Smith, then a lad, spent three 
days in scraping- the sand away sufficiently to permit of the 
entrance of the schooner Solomon Juneau, In 1844 another 
survey was made but still no action followed. It was March 
5th of the same year that Deleg-ate Henry Dodg-e presented a 
petition of 76 citizens of the territory of Wisconsin askingf 
Congress for an appropriation for a harbor at the town of 
"Manitowic on the western shores of Lake Michig-an." It 
was in that year that Racine and Southport (Kenosha) secur- 
ed their first appropriations. When Deleg-ate Dodg-e became 
g-overnor inhis first messag-e delivered in 1846 he touched upon 
Manitowoc's needs as follows: "Estimates have been made 
under direction of the War Department for the harbors at the 
mouth of the Manitowoc and Sheboyg-an Rivers, where towns 
have been commenced and are increasing- in commercial im- 
portance, and the country settling rapidly in the interior with 
enterprising- inhabitants, who merit the aid that can be de- 
rived from the most secure navig-ation of the lakes." In De- 
cember of the same year throug-h l^eleg-ate Tweedy, citizens 
of Wisconsin ag-ain prayed for the construction of a harbor at 
the mouth of the Manitowoc river and in fact an -item for the 
project was included in the harbor bill of that year, which 
was vetoed. 

Private enterprise had, in the failure of government aid, 
not been absent during- this time. In 1843 a bridg-e pier was 
extended out into the lake at the foot of what is now Frank_ 
lin street and was long- maintained by the firm of Case & 
Clark, being- sold in April, 1852 to Edwin C. Hubbard, by 
whom it was used in the forwarding- business for many years. 
Disg-ust and exasperation at the delay of Congress in improv- 
ing- Wisconsin harbors rapidly increased. Said the engineer's 



59 

report in 1847, speaking- of Manitowoc and Sheboygfon : "Noth- 
ing- has been done at either but to make surveys, plans and 
estimates. These harbors are extreme!}^ essential to the 
commerce of the lakes as steamboats after leaving- the Manitou 
Islands make for the western shore of the lake but at the 
present time find no harbor or port of refug-e short of Milwau- 
kee, 160 miles distant from the islands by the shortest line." 
The leg-islature ag-ain memorialized Cong-ress in 1850 and in 
December of that year the Weekly Herald remarked tersely: 
"The schooner E. Henderson beat about the bay two days be- 
fore g-etting- in. She succeeded at last, — no thanks to Con- 
g-ress." Two years passed, however, without any move be- 
ing- made. By that time citizens were seeing- the absolute 
need of better facilities, and decided to make a start, at least, 
themselves. Thus at a meeting- held in January 1852 the 
villagers resolved to raise $15,000 by a loan, levying- a tax of 
one per cent to m et the interest. They applied to the leg-is- 
lature for the desired permission, which was g-ranted and by 
the same act the office of harbor master was created, while 
the body also memorialized Cong-ress to add $25,000 to the 
sum to be raised by thelocality. The Milwaukee Wisconsin in 
commenting on the action said: "The commencement of a 
harbor will be more likely to aid in obtaining- an appropriation 
from the g-eneral g-overnment, which we trust it ma}' be the 
good fortune to g-et this very session." The wish was realiz- 
ed in a limited manner for in that year Cong-ress did g-rant 
$8,000, scarcely enoug-h to commence work, althoug-h it had 
as an effect the failure of the villag-e to appropriate the money 
voted by it. In this year also Two Rivers secured a lig-hthouse 
the property being- boug-ht of H. H. Smith and he doing- the 
work of construction. A further survey of Manitowoc harbor 
was taken in 1852 and under the supervision of Temple Clark, 
the local ag-ent and U. S. Engineer Graham the work proceed- 
ed. Since the plans called for an expenditure of $60,000 it is 
easily seen that the sum actually expended did not go far, 
merely paying- for the laying of a few cribs and the dredg-ing- 
of a twelve foot channel. In 1853 the legislature had asked 
for $15,000 in order that the work mig-ht be continued but no 



60 

further aid was forthcoming-, notwithstanding- frequent efforts 
to that end. An appropriation of $12,500 failed of passag-e in 
1855; another in 1856 shared the same fate. In February of 
the same year Senator Dodg-e asked leave to introduce separ- 
ate bills for Manitowoc, Sheboyg-an, Milwaukee, Racine and 
Kenosha, and such leave being- g-ranted, the share of Manito 
woe was fixed at $12,500. Senator Seward offered an amend- 
ment, striking- out that sum and inserting- S62,780.92, in order 
that the entire project mig-ht be completed. This was agreed 
to but the bill in its final form failed to become a law. In 1858 
a special appropriation for Manitowoc was introduced by Con- 
g-ressraan Billingshurst but it was pig-eon-holed. Thus it 
came to pass that no further action was taken by the g-overn- 
ment in improving- Manitowoc harbor until after the civil war, 
as that conflict during- its prog-ress put a damper on all pro- 
jects of such a nature. 

Manitowoc was made a port of entry in 1854, C. W. Fitch 
being- chosen the first deputy collector and a fog- bell was 
placed at the river mouth during- the same year. That fall 
Col. K. K. Jones beg-an the construction of what was known 
as the north pier at the foot of Chicag-o Street. It was 950 
feet in leng-th and was built by Capt. Rouse at a cost of $6000. 
Mr. Jones continued to run the pier until 1861, when he sold 
it to Peter Johnston. A bridg-e pier was also built at Two 
Rivers in 1854. With these limited facilities, two bridg-e 
piers, a lig-hthouse and a shallow channel, citizens of Manito- 
woc beg-an to wake up to the importance of action and had it 
not been for the war something- mig-ht have been done much 
sooner. The Pilot estimated that the village had lost in the 
sing-le year, 1860, by not having- a harbor, the sum of $150,- 
000. It was this feeling- that prompted a harbor meeting-, 
called February 5, 1861. S. A. Wood officiated as president, 
C. Essling-er was secretary, while remarks were made by H. 
Berners, P. P. Smith and A. C. Pool. II was decided to ap- 
point a committee, consisting- of J. Bennett, H. McAllister, 
H. Berbers. S. A. Wood and H. Mulholland, Sr., to draw up a 
bill authorizing- the county to raise a harbor tax of $30,000. 
At another meeting- held in April much discussion over the 



61 

proposed bill took place, Assemblyman Joseph Stephenson 
opposing- it strenuously, being- ably assisted by Assemblyman 
Graves of Calumet county, both of whom represented the in- 
land interests. The matter remained in abeyance until 
January 1804 when another meeting was held to discuss 
the same project. In Jahuary 1865 the village board 
petitioned the legislature to allow the town to raise 
$60,000, the result being- that on March 11 the latter 
body did pass a law authorizing- the village to issue 
$30,000 in bonds at seven per cent., running twenty years, to 
be paid in taxation. The bond issue was to be voted on at a 
special election, which Vva^ not to take place unless the coun- 
ty, excluding the towns of Two Rivers and Two Creeks voted 
a like amount for the same purpose. Harbor commissioners 
were named by this act as follows: — J. Vilas, H. Berners, Ja- 
cob Grimm, F. R. Gutheil, Ira P. Smith, Hansen Rand and J. 
Taugher, representing the various portions of the county, 
these men being empowered to choose a superintendent of the 
work. Construction was to cease in case the national govern- 
ment appropriated a sufficient amount to complete the work. 
The plan came to naught, however, since the villag-e board 
refused to allow the matter to be voted upon, claiming- that 
taxation and not a bond issue was desired, although for this 
decision the members were roundly scored. In 1866 the legis- 
lature amended the act materially. The town of Manitowoc 
was by the later law permitted to raise during the years 1867 
1868, and 1869, $20,000 annually. The terms were much the 
same as that of the preceeding act, although in this instance 
the board of harbor commissioners was to consist of eight 
members, viz. J. Vilas, T. C. Shove, Charles Luling-, Jacob 
Halverson, John Schuette, H. Berners, W. Rahr and H. Becker. 
Application was made for government aid and the money was 
to be expended under the advice of the g-overnment engineers. 
Another act permitted any town by a majority vote to raise 
not more than $1000 annually for harbor improvement during- 
the same three years, but this was repealed, the next year. 
The town of Kossuth, however, did vote in favor of a $3000 
tax in April. The election in the town of Manitowoc was 



62 

held on February 13, and resulted in an overwhelming- majo- 
rity of 304 out of 392 votes cast, in favor of the proposition. 

The government in the meantime had ag-ain taken a hand. 
In 1865 Congress had been memorialized by the state legisla- 
ture to continue improvement at Manitowoc, "the most access- 
able and surest harbor on the coast." In 1866 an extensive 
harbor bill had been p-epared and was passed, one of the items 
being $52,000 for Manitowoc. Col. Sitgreaves arrived in the 
city in April to survey the harbor and the government soon 
advised the citizens to utilize the $20,000, raised by taxation 
in the construction of a dredge and in preparing the channel, 
the harbormasters acting on the suggestion. The dredge was 
built and in the spring of 1867 the government began to get 
the material ready for the work, the actual construction be- 
ing begun in June at the north side of the river entrance. ■ 
The original plan of Major Wheeler, prepared in 1866, was 
to extend two parallel piers to twelve foot water and this 
was made possible by liberal appropriations in 1867, 1868 
and 1869, it being completed in 1871. The legislature re- 
pealed further authorization of special village taxes in 1867 
but from that time much money was nevertheless spent in 
dredging, in 1867 47,070 cubic yards being excavated, in 1869 
20,000, in 1870 19,000, in 1871 18,000, in 1872 41,490, in 1873 
33,665 and in 1874 32,700. Docks were also put in along the 
lower river frontage at a cost to the abutting property hold- 
ers and to the city of $50,000, an amendment to the village 
charter in 1868 having given the latter power to enforce 
docking and dredging. The new piers were so far advanced 
by 1871 that the old bridge piers were abondoned and dis- 
mantled. In thi*? period great gratitude was felt by the citi- 
zens towards Senator S. O. Howe and Congressman Philetus 
H. Sawyer for their championship of the harbor and their 
assistance in securing appropriations .J. D. Markham went to 
Washington in 1868 also to assist in interesting the national 
authorities in Manitowoc, while the harbor commissioners as 
a whole were most active in their co-operation until 1870, 
when the}^ were dissolved as a corporate body and their pow- 
ers transferred to the board of aldermen. The first city chart- 




EDWARD SALOMON 



63 

er conferred extensive harbor powers upon the latter body, 
provided for a harbor master and through a later amendment 
permitted of municipal dredging- projects. 

In 1872 the channel had reached a depth of thirteen feet 
and Engineer Houston, then in charge, estimated the cost of 
an eighteen foot channel at over $75,000. It was in this year 
also that a breakwater was suggested as a means of deaden- 
ing the effects of the swelj up river. From 1870 to 1880 the 
government appropriated $100,500 and cribs were sunk at 
Ihe rate of four or five a year until in 1879 the north pier was 
1620 feet long and the south pier, commenced eleven years 
before, was 1550 feet in length. From 1879 to 1881 one 
hundred feet were added and the plan to make the depth 13 
feet with 18 feet at the entrance was carried out. A change 
in the prc>ject occurred in 1881, it being decided to extend the 
piers to 18)^ feet water and to dredge the harbor to a depth, 
varying from 14 to 18 feet, thus making the total estimated 
cost of improving the harbor $308,000 of which $247,000 had 
already been expended. H. Truman went to Washington, 
at this time to present the city's case but the appropriation 
secured was not as large as expected and therefore the city in 
1882 dredged about 9000 cubic yards outside the harbor at 
its own expense, in order to facilitate the work, a favor which 
was later reciprocated by the government engineers. An 
effort was made by Mayor John Schuette to induce the gov- 
ernment to dredge a 15 foot channel up as far as the bridge 
at Eighth Street but this the latter refused to undertake. It 
however, recognized the importance of the harbor, the en- 
gineers calling it in 1885 "one of the most important harbors 
north of Milwaukee". In 1885 the north pier was completed 
according to the original plan of the engineers, although 
much of it was rebuilt in 3'ears following while the south 
pier was completed in 1887. The continued extension of the 
shore line, due to accretions made necessary further exten- 
sions in succeeding years. From 1880 to 1890 $59,000 was 
appropriated by the government for the harbor and it was 
the general comment of the engineers that the work accom- 



64 

plisHed had been successful in character. In 1890 anew project 
was recommended in the construction of an extension break- 
water, running northwest and southeast near the north pier 
entrance. An interior harbor of refug^e was also considered 
bj the engineers but only the former scheme was deemed ad- 
visable. J. D. Markham was again sent to Washington and 
secured Congressman Brickner's aid but no appropriation 
sufficiently large was secured that year. In 1892 and 1894, 
largely through the efforts of Congressman Wells the neces" 
sary $40,000 was procured and the construction took place 
in 1895, the Wisconsin Dredge and Dock Company doing the 
work. 

In May 1895 the city council by ordinance fixed the dock 
lines above the Main Street bridge, an action made necessary 
by the new railroad improvements and in February of the 
following year a meeting of citizens was called to discuss 
dredging along the upper course of the river. Joseph Vilas 
presided and among those present were President Abbott, 
General Manager Whitcomb, Vice president Greenleaf and 
Attorneys Gill and Abbott of the Wisconsin Central and Land 
Commissioner Thayer of the C. & N. W. A commitee was 
chosen, composed of Mayor Torrison, G. G. Sedgwick and A. 
J. Schmitz, to present the matter to Congress and if possible 
to secure aid. They were successful, an appropriation of 
$44,440 being made, with which the government extended 
the south pier 500 feet to the twenty foot contour and dredged 
a twenty foot channel from the harbor line outward. In May 
the War Department granted the C. & N. W. the right to re- 
move 320 feet of the south pier for their car ferry slip and in 
turn the company built 2000 lineal feet of protection piling 
along the lake front. Dredging in 1896 was the order of the 
day. The city in June appropriated $25,000 for this purpose 
and with this sum excavated 273,400 cubic yards, thus afford- 
ing a twenty foot channel from the inner end of the harbor 
pier up river 5500 feet. A turning basin was constructed in 
the upper course of the river and in 1896 the removal of 200,- 
000 cubic yards of earth was authorized. The Manitowoc 



t'erminai Company also did a larg-e amouiit of dredg'iiig' and 
the channel resulting- was one of the deepest on Lake Michi- 
gan, that of South Chicagfo alone approaching- it. In 1899 a 
survey was ordered to inquire into the advisability of extend- 
ding- the breakwater and the building- of an inner harbor of 
refug-e. The former project was reported by the eng-ineers 
to be possible by the expenditure of $37,000 but the latter 
was deemed by them impracticable. The Cong-ressional Riv- 
er and Harbor Committee inspected the harbor in Aug-ust 1900 
while on a tour of the Great Lakes, being- entertained by the 
city. A year later up-river dredg-ing- ag-ain came up for dis- 
cussion, it being- urg-ed that the boats, which for many wint- 
ers had made it a practice to lay up in the harbor and which 
broug-ht larg-e sums into circulation, could be better accom- 
odated. A mass meeting- was held, plans drawn up for the 
dredg-ing- of the river to a twenty foot depth around the so- 
called Lucps Peninsula and the contract for a part of the 
work let in the autumn. On the whole the citizens of 
Manitowoc have not been slow in realizing- that it is the har- 
bor, in which lie hopes of future commercial ascendancy and a 
spirit of liberality has always characterized them when call- 
ed upon for financial aid, sums ag-greg-ating- over $100,000 
having- been expended by the municipality since 1866. 
A summary of g-overnment appropriations follows: 

YEAR SUM YEAR SUM 

1852 $ 8.000 1880 $ 7,000 

18h6 .52,000 1881 4,000 

1867 45,000 1882 10,000 

186S 17,500 1884 15,000 

1869 17,820 1886 15,000 

1870 20,000 1888 8,000 

1871 11,000 1890 8,000 

1873 20,000 1892 28,000 

1874 10,000 1894 20,000 

1875 10,000 1896 44,440 

1876 8,000 1899 3,300 

1878 15,000 1901 45,000 

1879 6,500 

Total $448,560 



66 

Two Rivers soon after the war closed, also made efforts 
at improvement. In 1867 the Packard pier was constructed 
and in 1870 tlie g-overnment made a survey, which was backed 
up the next yfear b}- a leg-islative memorial to Cong-ress. The 
first sum appropriated, in 1871, was $25,000 artd the original 
project was to build two parallel piers. 260 feet apart, extend- 
ing- to the 18 foot curve and to dredge a channel, crossing the 
outer sand bars, the total cost of which was estimated at 
$265,588. Appropriations were made from year to year and 
the work continued under difficulties, much trouble being ex- 
perienced with shifting- sands. This fact made sand-proof 
revetments necessary, greatly increasing the expense, and the 
piers also chang-ed the shore line. In 1874 the Two Rivers 
lighthouse was built and private parties did considerable 
docking-. A volunteer life saving- service was established, 
the station becoming- a permanent one with a paid force in 
1878. Captain Scove first commanded the station, beings s'ut- 
ceeded by Capt. Pilon in 1880. By the latter year there had 
been expended about $132,000 on the harbor, but the results 
on account of the shifting- sands, were rather unsatisfactory, 
a ten foot channel being- with difficulty maintained. In 1882 
this too was also obliterated, trade fell off and Henry Mann 
offered to pay the expenses of riinning- the U. S. Dredg-e in 
order to lietter matters. Later in the year the city and g-ov- 
ernment co-operated with each other, removing- 47,000 cubic 
yards of earth at a cost of about $4,000. Since the lake com- 
merce of the port remained, the appropriations made became 
nominal, being- sufficient only for maintenance. The pier ex- 
tension was completed in 1884. since which time portions of 
them have become dilapidated. In -1894 a g-reat assistance 
was rendered navigators by the erection by the g-overnment 
of the World's Fair steel tower, 110 feet hig-h, at Two Rivers 
Point, a few miles north of the city and the placing- on it of 
a strong- beacon lig'ht, which can be seen for a distance of 20 
miles. A survey for extended improvements was made in 
1900 at Two Rivers, but the report of the eng-ineers was not 
favorable, the eleven foot channel being- deemed sufficient for 



67 

the needs of the port. The river divides at the mouth into 
two branches, neither of which have been dredged for any 
g-reat distance. The sums appropriated by the U. S. g-overn- 
ment from time to time aire as follows, 

YEAR SUM YEAR STM 

1871 ....$25,000 1882 $15,000 

1872 • ....25,000 1884. 8,000 

1873 25,000 1888 : 2,500 

1874 15.000 1890... 3,000 

1875 15,000 1892 3,000 

1876 5,000 1894 ...... 3,000 

1878 10,000 1896 5,000 

1879 20,000 . 1899 8,000 



1881 15,000 

Total.. .1222,500 

The village of Ceriterville in 1887 and the years imme- 
diately succeeding- had hig-h hopes of securing" a harbor. The 
sum of $4,000 was raised for docking, half of the amount at a 
public meeting, but despite all exertions government aid was 
not forthcoming and the project was soon given up. In 1866 
two small piers had been authorized to be built at the place 
and these proved sufficient for all needs. Similar structures 
were maintained by the firm of G. Pfister & Co. at Two 
Creeks. 

TRANSPOR'^ATION FACILITIES AND SHIPBUILDING. 

The harbors at Manitowoc and Two Rivers were of 
course only a means towards an end. Of themselves ihey 
were of little value but the commerce and better transporta- 
tion facilities that they brought about were of vast import- 
ance to the welfare of the two cities. The first intercourse 
with the outside world was necessarily by the arrival of some 
trading schooner and it was only natural that these should 
play an important part in the early life of the community. It 
was by this means that the earliest settlers reached their new 
homes, and the arrival of one of these "hookers" was a great 
event. In the latter thirties bnly an occasional schooner 
would drop anchor in the bay. By 1840, however, many of 



68 

the little traders had regfular routes, the schooner Milwaukee, 
Captain Andros, trading- between the city after which it was 
named and Manitowoc, and the schooner Libert^-, Captain 
Guyles, making- voyages to Two Rivers. In the next year 
more vessels visited both places, averaging- perhaps two or 
three a week, chief among- them being- the schooner Colum- 
bia, Captain Morg-an, which traded at Manitowoc, and the 
Ocean, Captain Guyles, at Two Rivers. In 1842 still more 
called at the two villag-es, including- the Gazelle, Milwaukee, 
Savannah, Jessie Smith, Wave, Meeme and Mechanic. In 
the shipping- lists of 1845 are noticeable frequently the names 
of the schooners Solomon Juneau, Captain Quin; Kagle, Capt. 
Pach; Baltimore, Capt. Cotton; D. Whitney, Capt. Fleming; 
and the K. Henderson, Capt. Henderson. As the years passed 
it became possible for a steamer to stop off the mouth of the 
river at Manitowoc in calm weather on its way from Buffalo 
or Chicag-o, if there were any passengers or freig-ht for the 
place. But for a long time the sailing- vessel was the chief 
means of communication. That it was utilized needs no fur- 
ther proof than a reference to the marine lists appearing- in 
the Milwaukee papers of the time. Four schooners clearing 
in one day for Two Rivers was not an unusual occurrence, 
these little craft bringing lumber down and carrying produce 
back on the return voyage. It was a strange fact that, 
whereas up to 1846 Manitowoc led as a trading center, in that 
year and for two or three succeeding, Two Rivers ranked 
highest in the amount of tonnage, although when steamboat 
connections were made the number of schooners trading at 
both places fell off. The first attempts to run the former 
style of craft regularly to Manitowoc were made in the sea- 
son of 1848, when the propeller Rossiter made trips from Chi- 
cago as far north as Manitowoc, stopping at Milwaukee and 
other intermediate points. The round trip occupied about 
nine or ten daysj including stops and after one summer the 
line was discontinued. A year before the first schooner built 
in the county was constructed by Capt. Joseph Edwards, 
christened the Citizen and being a craft of sixty tons burden. 



69: 

Five years elapsed before another was built, but thereafter 
shipbuilding- became one of the principal industries of the 
county. 

By 1850 a regular steamer line was again in operation, 
this time one of greater permanence. The craft was the 
Champion, Captain Howe, of 270 tons and it left Manitowoc 
for Milwaukee Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 
seven o'clock, stopping at Sheboygan enroute and connecting- 
with the Buffalo boats at its southern terminus. These also 
began to stop at Manitowoc in case they had any very large 
number of emigrants desirous of being landed, the flood of 
travel having by this time turned Wisconsinward. The Lady 
of the Lake, which was at that time plying between Green 
Bay and Chicago also stopped at Manitowoc, P. P. Smith 
being the local agent. The steamer Detroit, somewhat larger 
than the Champion, was placed on the Manitowoc line by the 
Ward Company, who owned the steamers, in 1851 and was in 
turn succeeded by the steamer Arctic, a craft of 857 tons, two 
years later. By this time commercial activity in Manitowoc 
had been greatly increased. Said Philo White in a commun- 
ication to Congress in 1850 upon Wisconsin lake towns: 'Man- 
itowoc is vieing with her neighboring ports in the enterprise 
of her citizens, in the onward march of her improvements and 
in the rapid development of her material resources. She ex- 
ported in the items of lumber and fish to the value of $72,726 
during the last season and her imports were $117,826. There 
are five schooners owned there. Two Rivers has also asserted 
her claim to be inscribed in the list of lake ports by contrib- 
uting to swell the aggregate of lake commerce. As long ago 
as 1847 she exported lumber and fish to the value of $53,747 
in that year alone." Shipbuilding began in 1852 to take on 
an important aspect, three or four schooners being constructed 
in that year and double the number the next. Said the Weekly 
Herald: It is perhaps no breach of modesty to say that 
Manitowoc is capable of furnishing more and better lake 
schooners than any town of its size west of Buffalo. And 
while our hand is in we misrht as well add that Two Rivers 



70 

and this place can furnish employment for double our fleet. 
With unabated energy the construction of little schooners 
progressed at both ports down to the opening- of the Civil 
War, the largest built up to that time being the Mary Stock- 
ton, constructed by Bates & Son in 1853, which had a capac- 
ity of 275 tons. Other shipbuilders of the day were Joseph 
Edwards, J. Hughes, E. Sorenson, G. S. Rand of Manitowoc 
and James Harbridge of Two Rivers. It was the last named 
who built the schooners Gertrude and Joseph Vilas. 

Steam, however, in the meantime was being felt as a fac- 
tor in local transportation. In 1854 facilities were greatly in- 
creased. The Read line of Buffalo steamers established a 
Manitowoc agency and the Collingwood line of steamers also 
touched at Manitowoc, the Lady Elgin stopping at the har- 
borquite frequently. Thesteamer QueenCity, forwhichK. K. 
Jones was the local agent, left Manitowoc for Sault Ste Marie 
on Wednesdays and for Chicago on Saturdays, while the Fash- 
ion stopped enroute from Milwaukee to Green Bay. The next 
year (1855) Manitowoc was visited regularly by the Buffalo 
liners. Lady Elgin, Niagara and Keystone State, while the 
little steamer Lady of Sheboygan plied between that city and 
Manitowoc. The Superior, Captain Tomkins. made tri- 
weekly trips to Chicago and also' touched at Two Rivers, She 
was, however, burned the following 3'ear on Lake Superior. 
The report for the year shows that 82 steamers and 102 sail- 
ing vessels called at Manitowoc and 74 steamers and 41 sail 
vessels at Two Rivers. The year 1856 witnessed the inaugu- 
ration of the Goodrich Line, which has played such an impor- 
tant part in Manitowoc life ever since. The line had been 
organized the preceding year and the steamer Huron, of 348 
tons, placed upon a route including Milwaukee, Sheboygan, 
Manitowoc and Two Rivers, daily trips being instituted. Said 
the Herald in November: -'We hope that Captain Goodrich's 
experience will induce him to tr}^ the route another season 
and that his efforts to accommodate our business community 
will be duly appreciated ." K. K. Jones was the Manitov^^oc 
ajeut of the liai anl Pierpoit, Hall & Co. the Two Rivers 



71 

representatives. Besides the Goodrich line Manitowoc was 
also touched by the Colling-wood line, including- the Niag-ara 
which burned off Port Washing-ton in September 1856 and 
was succeeded by the Planet, the Queen City, Buckeye 
State and Keystone State and by the Ward steamer Cleveland 
built in 1852, which ran to Green Bay ports. During- the next 
year facilities remained the same, the Arctic, Captain Dou- 
g-all taking- the place of the Cleveland in September In 1858 
the Ward line ran both the Cleveland and the Traveler on 
the Manitowoc route, the former making- tri-weekly trips, 
while the Arctic still called en route to Green Bay. The 
Colling-wood liners, five in number also continued to stop dur- 
ing- this and the two succeeding- seasons, furnishing- means of 
transportation east once a week. 

In 1858 and 1859 Captain Goodrich put the propeller 
Og-ontz on a line running- from Green Bay to Chicag-o, Capt. 
Flood commanding-. During- the latteryearand 1860, however, 
the best facilities were oifered by the Wards, the Gazelle, 
Capt. Butlin making daily trips to Manitowoc and Two Riv- 
ers, but this line finally withdrew, leaving- Captain Goodrich 
a clear field. By that time the latter had disposed of the 
hull of the Ogontz to Racine parties and had purchased the 
Wabash Valley, but as he sold her to the Milwaukee and 
Grand Haven Transportation Co., he was compelled to have 
built at Newport, Michigan, the Comet, a steamer of 385 tons 
placing- her in command of Captain Pabst, the later well 
known Milwaukeean. She remained in possession of the line 
until 1870, being transferred to the Grand Haven route. It 
was on this craft that so many Manitowoc soldiers were car- 
ried away from their homes during- the earlier years of the 
civil strife. The energ-etic captain soon purchased the stea- 
mers Lady Franklin and Sea Bird, which were placed on the 
Green Bay and Lake Superior routes respectively, the 
former being- sold to Chicago parties after two years. In 
1860 Manitowoc first began to furnish craft for thi^i line, con- 
tracts being- let to Bates & Son for the building- of the propel- 
lars Sunbeam and Union. The latter was launched in April 



72 

1861 and was fitted out at a total cost of $25,000, having- the 
eng"ines of the old Og^ontz put in her. The Sunbeam costing- 
S40,000, was launched in June and was placed on the Manito- 
woc route the next season but foundered on Lake Superior a 
year later. An attempt had been made to fit her out with the 
so-called Whittaker side-wheel apparatus, but it proved a fail- 
ure. The Union was sold in the latter sixties to parties who 
ran her on Green Bay. During the war Captain Goodrich 
boug-ht the Ward Steamer Planet, 1164 tons, and the May 
Queen. The former was placed in the Lake Superior trade, 
calling- at Manitowoc, but was later dismantled and sold to 
the Peshtigo Lumber Co. The May Queen ran on what was 
known as the west shore route, touching- Manitowoc, Two 
Rivers, Sheboygan and Milwaukee and sank off Sheboyg-an 
on September 17, 1865, the hull being- later destroyed by fire. 
Commercial interests during- the war remained larg-ely at 
a stand still, in Manitowoc at hast. However, the first di- 
rect g-rain shipment east was made May 31, 1861, on the 
schooner Joseph Vilas, Captain Albrecht. The carg-oof 8000 
bushels was made up by Piatt & Vilas, O. Torrison, J. Ben- 
nett and S. Goodnow, and the event marked a stage in the 
development ■ of Manitowoc countjs viz: the change from a 
lumbering- to an ag-ricultural community. That Manitowoc 
was recog-nized as having- an interest in eastern shipping- was 
witnessed by the appointment of Joseph Vikis in 1863 as a 
Wisconsin deleg-ate to the Canal Enlargement Convention, 
held in that year. Shipbuilding- too had languished during- 
the war, a few schooners alone being- constructed. At the 
end of that strug-gle, however, a g-reat impetus was given to 
the industry, in which Manitowoc shared. A new and ener- 
g-etic firm had been established under the management of G. 
S. Rand, and he soon secured contracts of importance. The 
Orion, a 600 ton sidewheeler, was his first work of mag-nitude 
being launched December 6, 1865, and the engine of the stea- 
mer Michigan, purchased by the Goodrich line the year be- 
fore, being- placed in the craft. The boat continued to make 
trips on the west shore and later on the Grand Haven route 



73 

until 1871, when she was dismantled and became a lumber 
barg-e. In 1866 the Goodrich interests were incorporated as 
the Milwaukee, Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay Transportation 
Company, but the name was changed two years later to that 
of theGoodrichTransportationCompany, with AlbertE. Good- 
rich, W. J. Whalling,G. Hurson, A.ConroandS. A.Hasbrouck 
as incorporators and Manitowoc as the home port. In 1866 the 
line purchased the propellors G. J. Truesdell and Ottowa, and 
on November 15 there was launched the second steamer from 
the Rand yards, the Northwest. The launching was a great 
event for the village, a thousand persons witnessing it. The 
steamer used the Planets engines, was 250 feet long, 33 feet 
beam and had a measurement of 1200 tons. She was placed 
on the west shore run in May of the year under the command 
of Captain Williams and was considered one of the finest 
boats on the lakes, a deserved tribute to Manitowoc industry. 
Among the other shipbuilders of the time were E. W. Pack- 
ard and Jasper Hanson, who later associated with himself H. 
Scove, the firm some years afterwards removing to Two Riv- 
ers. Small schooners were also constructed in the later six- 
ties at Neshoto and Mishicott. 

Captain Goodrich kept the propeller Truesdell for about 
thirteen years, running it on the Green Bay route but the 
Ottawa, after being- on the same run for two years, was sold 
to shipowners in Detroit and the magnificent Northwest, too, 
after a short service on the Manitowoc route was purchased 
by the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company. On Aug- 
ust 17; 1867 builder Rand launched the sidewheeler Manitowoc 
and the event was a memorable one, the city presenting" the 
craft with a set of colors. The Manitowoc was 218 feet long, 
33 feet beam and measured 569 tons, being fitted out with the 
May Queen's eng-ines. She ran from Chicago to Manitowoc 
for five seasons and was then displaced by abetter craft, being" 
turned into a barge. In this year (1867) the Goodrich line 
had a rival in the shape o# the steamer Hippocampus, which 
ran tri-weekly from Milwaukee but the venture did not prove 
very successful and the line was soon discontinued. That 



74 

year the Goodrich company boug-ht their present dock prop- 
erty and J. W. Thombs was installed as local ag-ent, a posi- 
tion he held until 1891. The company also commenced to lay 
up its vessels at Manitowoc in the winter season. Then not 
only did the city have a reputation arising- from its shipbuild- 
ing- but also as a shipowning center, the Manitowoc fleet con- 
sisting- of 37 craft, including 7 Goodrich boats, 1 tug-, 9 barques, 
1 scow and 17 schooners. By the sad loss of the Seabird, 
chronicled later in these pages, Captain Goodrich was sadly 
crippled and so purchased the Alpena in Detroit for S80,000. 
The craft was rebuilt in 1876 and was owned by the line until 
the time of her sinking- four years later off Grand Haven. In 
1869 the sidewheelers Sheboygan and Corona were launched 
for the line from the Rand yards. The former was particu- 
larly admired at the time, her upperworks being constructed 
in Detroit at a great expense. The engines for the craft were 
second-hand, coming from the old City of Cleveland. Both 
were for years on the west shore, the former being rebuilt in 
1896. She is still a staunch craft in active service, while the 
Corona was sold in 1892 to Buffalo parties to be used as an 
excursion boat and burned in the Niagara River soon after. 

To such an extent had lake interests at Manitowoc grown 
by 1870 that the subject of securing a dry dock was much 
under discussion. A company was formed, with Jonah Rich- 
ards as president, C. H. Walker secretary and George Cooper 
treasurer, which met the following January to organize. The 
company was a stock corporation and man}^ citizens subscribed 
for shares to aid the project which was soon after happily 
consummated, G. S. Rand being chosen superintendent. The 
docks were maintained by the company until 1887 when H. 
Burger purchased them, lengthening them some years later. 
Mr. Rand in May, 1870 turned out another Goodrich steamer, 
the side wheeler Muskegon, built for the Orion's machinery 
and in 1872 added the propellers Oconto and Menominee to his 
list. The steamer Muskegon was regularly run until 1897, 
when she was wrecked while undergoing repairs in a Milwau- 
kee drydock, being later abandoned. The Oconto was dis- 



posed of by sale, while the Menominee after running- for 
twenty-three years was rebuilt and lengthened fifteen feet, 
taking- the name of the Iowa. After 1870 a great incr* ase in 
the number of schooners built was noticeable and new firms 
of builders came into the field. Hanson & Scove, P. Larson, J. 
Butler, S. Jorgenson, — all did much in the. line of construc- 
tion and in 1873 the firm of Rand & Burger was formed, whose 
name was widely known on the Great Lakes. Besides the 
Goodrich work, they undertook the construction of many tugs, 
lumber barges and vessels of all kinds and descriptions and 
the emploj^ment thus aff )rded to labor was both steady and 
lucrative. Next to the Goodrich interests as owners, Jonah 
Richards ranked next, his fleet being- widely known on the 
lakes. 

In 1873 Rand & Burger launched the Goodrich propeller 
DePere which continued in service until its sale, it later be- 
coming- the Barry liner. State of Michigan, sinking- off Grand 
Haven in the fall of 1^01. In 1874 the side-wheeler Chicago 
came out, taking- the Manitowoc's cabin and eng-ines and 
under the command of Captain Sweeney was for many 
years a familiar sig-ht in the harbor. The boat is still 
in active service. Three 3-ears later Manitowoc secured new 
connections, the boats of the Lake Michigan and Lake Super- 
ior Transportation Company stopping- at the Truman & Morse 
docks. The line was composed of the steamers Peerless, Fre- 
mont, Hurd and Duluth and ceased calling- at Manitowoc in 
the early eighties. As early as this hopes were also entertain- 
ed for connection with Michig-an via Flint & Pere Marquette 
steamers but they remained ung-ratified for many years. Out- 
side of the building- of sti amers after 1880 the business of con- 
struction manifested a rapid decline, due larg-ely to the sup- 
planting- of the sail by steam and thus Rand & Burg-er, which 
became Burg-er & Burger by the death of Mr. Rand in 1885, 
soon had the field to themselves. Manitowoc also lost the 
Richards fleet of eig-ht craft by the death of the owner in 1881 
and the Goodrich fleet, too, chang-ed its hailing- port to Ken- 
osha soon after, owing- to some misunderstanding- as to local 



76 

taxation. The propeller Luding-ton, launched by Btirg-er & 
Burg-er in 1880 was the only Goodrich steamer to be built at 
Manitowoc for nineteen years and was a very staunch and 
well-modeled craft, being" rebuilt and refitted as the Georg-ia 
in the winter of 1897-1898. In 1881 the Goodrich company 
turned for its craft to another source, having- the steamers 
Michigan, Wisconsin and City of Milwaukee built at Wyan- 
dotte, Mich., but possession of the last two was not retained 
for long- and the Michig-an sank oif Grand Haven. Captain 
Goodrich, whose name was linlced with the prog-ress of Mani- 
towoc as a marine center passed away at his Chicag-ohome in 
1888, having- for forty years been one of the notable fig-ures of 
the Great Lakes. In the years succeeding- the company was 
ably conducted by the captain's successors and in 1888 the 
work of construction of a new and costly fleet was beg-un. 
The first steamer to be built was the City of Racine, which 
was launched at the Burg-er yards in the presence of three 
thousand people in 1889. Ninety persons from Racine were 
present and Captain Butlin was the recipient of a set of colors 
from them. The craft was 217 by 35 feet and proved a most 
profitable investment, being- placed on the Chicag-o-Grand 
Haven route. The second steamer of the fleet appeared in 
1890, being- christened the Indiana and was the last larg-e 
steamer to be built at Manitowoc. The company a year later 
had the palatial Virg-inia and Atlanta constructed in Wyan- 
dotte, Mich., and in 1898 added by purchase, the whaleback 
Christopher Columbus. In 1896 the company constructed re- 
pair shops at Manitowoc and has since continued to enlarg-e 
its machinery and supply shops, used in refitting the boats 
during- the winter season, thus g-iving- employment to much 
hig-h-priced labor. In the later nineties the steamers Atlanta, 
Sheboyg-an, Chicag-o and Georgia have made reg-ular runs on 
the west shore, stopping- reg-ularly at Manitowoc and during 
much of the time at Two Rivers also and both the freight and 
passenger business has been large. Henry Pates succeeded 
Mr. Thombs as local agent until 1895, when C. F. Canright 
was chosen to fill the tiow important position, and upon his 
decease George Houghton was appointed agent. 



11 

^lie shipbuilding- itidustr}" at Manitowoc manifested a 
steady increase during" the nineties. Althoug^h the work was 
larg-ely in repairs, Burg-er & Burg-cr have built during- that 
period the steamers Petoskey, Fanny Hart and numerous 
smaller craft. As early as Aug^ust 1887 there were rumors 
current of the establishment of a steamer line to Luding-ton* 
A petition was numerously sig-ned in the city asking- for such 
connections to the east and forwarded to the F. & P. M. of- 
ficials in January of the following- year. The latter visited 
the city in June and seemed favorably impressed with the fa- 
cilities offered but no definite aciijn followed until 1890, when 
the line was established, F. P. Gaines being- appointed local 
ag-ent. It was thoug-ht that a new line mig-ht lead to more 
liberal harbor appropriations and g-reat satisfaction was felt 
upon the arrival of the first tliroug-h shipment on the steamer 
F. & P. M. No. 1, on January 10, 1890, the event being- the 
occasion of the booming- of cannon. Said the Pilot: "For 
over thirty years Manitowoc has been looking- for this con- 
summation." At first a round trip was made every two days 
but as business g-rew a second and in February a third and 
fourth boat were placed on the line. At about the same time 
the C. & N. W. built a larg-e warehouse on the south side of 
the ri\er entrance for this new line and flour from the west 
soon filled the building" to its utmost capacity, coming- in at 
the rate of over one hundred carloads a day. The route was 
essentially a winter one and during- the summer of the three 
succeeding- years the larg-e steamers were withdrawn and the 
propellor R. T. Stewart placed on the line. In the spring of 
1893 reg-ular trips on the route were discontinued and for 
several years trans-lake shipments were few. An experiment 
was made in the summer of 1893 in bringing- pulp wood rafts 
from Canada to Manitowoc, thence to be shipped to the paper 
mills of the Fox River valley, but the attempt did not prove 
successful and was given up as impracticable. In December 
of the same year the first whaleback to enter the harbor, the 
Pathfinder, unloaded coal at the C. & N. W. Docks. 

After a period of depression, as far as harbor interests 



78 

were concerned, a reawakening- took place with the entrance 
of the Wisconsin Central. Buffalo grain steamers of a size 
never before entering- Manitowoc beg-an in the summer of 
1896 to visit the port, the deep water then attained by 
dredg-ing- making- it possible for them to unload at the Central 
freig-ht docks, built that spring- above the Main street bridg-e. 
The first of this class to arrive were the Wetmore and Globe 
and in 1896 the Great Lakes Steamship Line was reg-ularly 
scheduled on the Manitowoc-Buffalo route, consisting- of the 
steamers Olympia, J. W. Moore, Globe, Charlemag-ne Tower 
and Pascadena. To accommodate this new class of transpor- 
tation it became necessar}' for the Northern Grain Company, 
a Chicag-o corporation, to build two mammoth elevators, A 
and B, the former being- constructed in the Wisconsin Central 
yards in 1896 and the latter on the south side of the river near 
the C. & N. W. depot in 1898. The g-rain capacity of these 
two structures is very hig-h and the}- we e built at an approxi- 
mate cost of $600,000. The first shipment of g-rain from the 
elevator S3^stem took place on May 1, 1S97, the steamer Moore 
takings a carg-o of 50,000 bushels. Althoug-h the Great Lakes 
Line was discontinued in the fall of 1898 steamers of other 
lines and of a larg-e capacity have continued to transport car- 
g-oes of grain to Buffalo and the business seems likely to have 
a great future. A profitable feature of these new facilities 
for Manitowoc has been the fact that many of the larg-e liners 
have made it a practice to lay up for the winter in the upper 
harbor, on account of the cheap and spacious accommodations 
offered. A larg-e amount of money has thus been put in cir- 
culation throug-h the purchase of necessary supplies, repairs, 
etc. In 1902 the Barry line of steamers commenced to touch 
at Manitowoc, running the Empire State and Badg-er State on 
the west shore route. 

A few words in reg-ard to the g-rowth of the carferry sys- 
tem. This novel method of transporting- freig-ht without 
breaking- bulk was initiated by the Ann Arbor line between 
Kewaunee and Frankfort in the early nineties. The steam- 
ers Nos. 1 and. 2 commenced calling- at Manitowoc in 1896 




J. D. MARKHAM 



r " 



79 

and have continued to make the port more and more reg-ularly 
as local business warranted, connecting- with both railroads. 
Slips were built to accommodate the craft at the C. & N. W. 
and Wisconsin Central yards and in the winter of 1895 the F. 
& P. M., which by this time had resumed the Manitowoc 
route, had 'built for their use at West Bay City, Mich., the 
carferry Pere Marquette, later known as Number 16, the 
larg-est in the world. It was launched May 19, 1896 and was 
fitted to accommodate 32 cars and 156 passengers, being- 263 
by 56 feet in dimensions. Its first arrival at Manitowoc took 
place on the morning" of February 16th of the next year and 
from that time it ran regularly between Manitowoc and Lud- 
ing-ton, often making- two round trips in a day. During 1897 
the Big- Four carferries called for some months at Manitowoc, 
the other terminijs being- Benton Harbor, but the distance was 
too great and the plan was g-iven up. In 1900 the F. & P. M. 
was oblig-ed to construct another carferry, the No. 17, in order 
to accommodate increasing- business. It was of the same 
dimensions as the older craft and made its first appearance in 
Manitowoc on August 25, 1901. Another carferry the No. 18 
was added to the line in 1902. This mode of transportation 
has been successful beyond all hopes and has raised Manito- 
woc to a hig-h position as a center of throug-h shipment. 

A revolution in the ship building- industry at Manitowoc 
occurred in the summer of 1902 when the Manitowoc Dry 
Dock Company was incorporated with the following- officers: 
President-Elias Grinnell; Vice-President — T. J. Prindeville; 
Secretary and Treasurer — S. E. Gier; General Manager — 
Charles C. West. Steel repair outfits were installed and the 
Burger yards purchased and refitted. The company soon 
soug-ht contracts for building steel vessels and much is ex- 
pected of the new departure. ' 

As tending- to show the g-rowth in commerce a table, tab- 
ulating- the clearances and tonnage of the craft at both Man- 
itowoc and Two Rivers is given under the head Appendix B. 
A list of the craft built at Manitowoc, with their tonnag-e, is 
also appended. 



go 

MAlilNE rilSASTER^. 
In Goncludiiig- the record of the marine history of the coUti- 
ty some space should be devoted to disasters, both those that 
have taken place in the vicinity and those in which Manitowoc 
was a particular sufferer. The first loss of importance on the 
lake in the neig-hborhood of Manitowoc was the burning- of 
the steamer Phoenix on November 21. 1847. The craft had 
arrived at Manitowoc on the morning- of the 20th and had on 
board two hundred passeng-ers and a large crew, the former 
being- bound for Milwaukee. Only about thirty were Ameri- 
cans, the rest, being- immigrants from Holland. The boat 
laid at the south pier all day awaiting- calm weather and left 
late at night. At about four in the morning-, while eight 
miles frcm Sheboyg-an and four from land, fire was discovered 
and in a few moments the craft was all ablaze. The flames 
were discernable in Sheboygan and the propellor Delaware, 
that happened to be in port, started to the rescue, as did also 
a schooner and thus about one-quarter of the number on board 
were saved, the rest perishing by water or the flames. The 
captain was ill with a broken leg- at the time but was safely 
conveyed to the rescuing- boat. The disaster caused wide- 
spread sympathy in the lake towns and was long- remembered. 
On the same day the schooner H. Merrill went ashore at Man- 
itowoc and a Mr. Woodward, who was on board, was drowned. 
Two years later the brig- Ontario was beached on Two Rivers 
point but got off after some difficulty. In a storm on Novem- 
ber 27, 1850, the schooner Jeanette was driven hig-h and dry 
on the beach near Manitowoc, and other vessels, among- them 
the Gleaner, had narrow escapes from the breakers. A se- 
ries of years then passed without any accident in the vicinity. 
In a g-ale in November, 1885, the brig- J. Irwin was lost off 
Two Wivers and the schooner Amelia off Manitowoc. Three 
years later the schooner Andromeda was lost about forty miles 
northeast of the latter port. In the loss of the Goodrich 
steamer Lady Klg"in off Waukeg-an on September 8, 1860, on- 
ly one man from the county, Fred Haeffner, of Two Rivers, 
lost his life. Seven years then passed without any notable 
wreck, but then came a series of them. On November 24, 



81 

1867 the barque Tubalcain went down off Two Rivers with 
18,000 bushels of wheat on board, the loss amounting- to $20,000 
and in December the propellar Adriatic went ashore near 
Manitowoc. 

Then came what, for Manitowoc, was perhaps the great- 
est marine disaster ever experienced, viz., the burning" of 
the Seabird. The terrible accident occurred eig-ht miles 
from Waukegan on the morning- of Thursday, April 9, 1868. 
The steamer was one that Captain Goodrich had purchased 
from the Ward line and was nine years old at the time. The 
crew and passerig-ers numbered thirty-five and a majority 
of them were from Manitowoc and Sheboygan, en-route to 
Chicago. It is thought that the fire origfinated from coals, 
scattered from the stoves, which the porter was eng-ag-ed in 
cleaning-. When the blaze was first discovered the boat was 
imprudently headed for the shore and the wind which was 
northeast, sent the flames forward and soon reached the ma- 
chinery. The engines became so heated that they stopped 
and the four small boats, capable of holding- ten persons, 
could not be lowered, while it was too late to receive any assis- 
tance from the shore. The terrible news of the disaster was 
soon abroad and the wires conveyed it to Manitowoc, the 
whole village being thrown into consternation by the tiding-s. 
R. D. Smart was dispatched at the head of a party to search 
for bodies along- the shore, but very few traces of the acci- 
dent were ever found. Only three persons escaped, two She- 
boygan men and JamesH. Leonard of Manitowoc. The loss to 
the north side was particularly heavy. Among- those from 
Manitowoc who lost their lives were Georg-e W. Emery, a 
prominent merchant, Captains N. T. Nelson and John Soren- 
son, vessel owners, James A. Hodges, clerk of the craft, 
Charles Reicher, foreman of the Goodrich repair shops, Jo- 
seph Dawcett, a grocer. Miss Theresa Olson, a seamstress, 
James Leykom, Aug-ust Wilde, Richard Flossbach, William 
Barter, John Melke, Casper Kleiner, John Fuchs, Herman 
Jaccby, P. C. Danahy, Amos Meyer, Henry Meinam besides 
MartinRog-ezginter andWenzel Hartichek with their wives and 
children, these latter being- on their way to Nebraska as col- 



82 

onists. Capt. Nelson was on his way to purchase a tug- in 
Chicag^o, while Capt. Sorenson and Mr. Emery were also on 
business trips. The terrible happening- left an impress on the 
people of the village, that was deeply felt, particularly by 
those whose friends had been thus wrested from them. In 
September of the same year the steamer Richard Roe sunk 
near the Manitowoc harbor pier and on October 30th the 
schooner James Nevag-le went down off Two Rivers. Capt. 
Joseph Gag"non and nine others of the volunteer life saving- 
crew then in existence made a heroic rescue of the crew of the 
doomed vessel. On board the Nevag-le were 15.000 bushels 
of wheat en-route to Osweg-o, N. Y. from Milwaukee, all of 
which was lost. In December, 1871, the schooner Industry 
sunk about midway between Two Rivers and her destination, 
Manitowoc, a carg-o of produce being lost. 

The year 1875 witnessed the loss of the schooner Cornelia 
D. Windiate, which in December went down between Manito- 
woc and Milwaukee with her crew of nine men and a cargo of 
21,000 bushels of wheat. She was built by Windiate and 
Butler in 1873 at a cost of $20,000 and had a capacity of 332 
tons, being- one of the finest schooners on the lake. On No- 
vember 8, 1877, the Canadian schooner Magellan, bound from 
Chicago to Toronto, with 20,000 bushels of wheat on board, 
was lost off Two Rivers. Nine sailors were drowned, the 
bodies being- washed ashore some days after the occurence. 
The schooner Joseph Duval shared the same fate at the same 
place in July, 1880, while en route from Kewaunee to Chicag-o 
with 140 cords of bark, seven were drowned and the vessel 
which had been built by Rand & Burg-er in 1875 at a cost of 
$7,000 proved a total loss. In a terrible storm on October 16, 
of the same year the Goodrich steamer Alpena went down on 
the east shore, carrying- seventy-five passeng-eas and a crew of 
twenty-six to a watery grave. Arthur Haines, the clerk and 
William Shepard, the steward, were both Manitowoc young- 
men and their death cast a g-loom over the city. In the suc- 
ceeding- March the treacherous Two Rivers Point claimed 
the barge Grace Patterson, the crew, however, being- saved. 
On December 3rd a terrible storm was the cause of the wreck 



83 

of the Goodrich steamer DePere, between Manitowoc and 
Two Rivers and the schooner Oliver Cutler near the latter 
place. The DePere was in a perilous position for months 
and it was thouo^ht that she would be a total loss, but by well- 
directed efforts she was saved from destruction the following- 
spring- and rebuilt. 

Another terrible disaster, long to be remembered, occurred 
off Two Rivers Point on October 28, 1887 in the loss of the 
screw steamer Vernon. The Vernon was owned by the North- 
ern Michigan Transportation Company and was enroute from 
Charlevoix, Mich., to Chicago with from thirty to fifty per- 
sons on board, only one of whom, Alfred Stone, a fireman, 
survived. He was insane for the remainder of his life, having 
suffered terribly, so the true story of the accident was never 
known. It is supposed that the accident occurred by some 
mishap in the stearing gear while the steamer was trying to 
make Manitowoc and that the boat was swamped in the 
trough of a tremendous wave. A schooner passed through 
the wreckage and saw some persons clinging to boards but 
was unable to g-ive assistance. Fishing- tugs picked up nine- 
teen bodies during the succeeding days, besides much wreck- 
age. An inquest was held before Justice Walsh at Two Riv- 
ers and nine of the bodies were interred in potter's field at that 
city, others being identified by friends. Several relics from 
the disaster were preserved, beingon exhibition at the Tcren's 
Museum at Mishicott. The Vernon cost originally $75,000 
and was commanded bj' Captain Thorpe at the time of the 
disaster. An accident occurred at nearly the identical spot 
on November 15, 1890, when the steambarge Nevada, found- 
ered, the crew being picked up by the steamer Manchester. 
The craft was eight years old and was valued at $50,000. 
The steamer Wetmore suffered a similai fate off Centerville 
in November 1894 and in 1898 the schooner L. B. Shepard 
went ashore off Two Rivers after being- waterlogged, the loss 
being $3500. A more recent marine disaster was the sinking 
of the scow Silver Lake by collision with the carferry Pere 
Marquette a few miles east of Mauitowoc in March 1900. 
The collision took place in a fog and the crew of the scow, 



84 



whose home was in Racine, lost their lives. On the whole 
Manitowoc has borne her share of the sorrow that always 
comes at frequent intervals to a i eople dwelling- near waters, 
Upon which they seek a livelihood. 



CHAPTER VII. 



RAILROADS. 



Few chapters in the history of Manitowoc county present 
such a series of failures, disappointments and blig-hted hopes 
as that concerning^ its railroads. For twenty years a contin- 
uity of misfortunes of various natures postponed the consum- 
mation of the desires of the people and it was not until the 
county seat had become an incorporated city that the first 
whistle of the locomotive was heard. Fate also remained un- 
kind after this first success and it was only in the year 1895^ 
the date of the construction ot the Wisconsin Central, that 
the city took the place as a railroad center that it should 
have attained forty years before. Situated as it is on the 
lake, in an almost direct line from the g-reat wheat-growing- 
reg-ion of the northwest to the markets of the east, it certain- 
ly possessed from the beginning- elements of natural streng-th 
that should have told earlier for advancement. 

With the rapid development of Wisconsin in the latter 
forties and the early fifties came the desire for better trans- 
portation facilities. Internal improvement is and always has 
been the summum bonum, towards which all new regions 
strive and the virg-in Badg-er State was no exception. In this 
desire Manitowoc shared from the first. Diverted from the 
earlier and more chimerical schemes of canal and river systems 
the minds of the progressive turned toward the rails and the 
iron horse as their hope of future advancement. Capital was 



86 

however, scarce and schemes of g-real trunk lines offering" hy- 
pothetical retvirns were numerous, few of which saw a pract- 
ical fruition. The Milwaukee and Mississippi, later a part of 
the St. Paul system, was the only remarkable instance of the 
latter class. In 1851, however, the legislature g-ranted two 
charters that touched Manitowoc's interests vitally. The 
first was that to the Chicag-o, Milwaukee and Green Bay Rail- 
road Company, granted on March l3th, of which, among- 
others, Georg-e Reed and K. K. Jones of Manitowoc, aud E. 
Fox Cooke, of Sheboygan, were incorporators, the balance 
being Wisconsin and eastern capitalists. It was the plan of 
this company to co-operate with the road also contemplated 
between Chicago and Milwaukee and to extend the latter 
northward to Manitowoc at least. There it was calculated 
that the road should connect with the Manitowoc an Missis- 
sippi Railroad, the charter for which was granted on March 
15th, two days later. The incorporators of this project were 
nine in number, viz;— George Reed, H. McAllister, Peleg- 
Glover, GustavusRichter and C. E. Esslinger, of Manitowoc, 
Charles Doty, Curtis Reed aud J. Keyes of Winnebag-o County 
and T. Conkey, J. Hanchett and Oscar Clark of Outag-amie 
County. The capital stock was fixed at $1,500,000 in shares 
of $100, two thousand of which were required to org-anize. 
Five per cent of the shares was required to be paid in at the 
time of the subscription and twenty per cent, was fixed as 
the maximum call, sixty days being- the length of notice and 
each share carrying- with it a vote. Three years was granted 
for the commencement of the road and ten years for comple- 
tion, ten miles to be completed before opening- it to traffic. 
The usual provisions as to reasonable rates, lelerence of 
disputes to commissioners, fixing of termini, eminent domain 
and annual reports were also made. Its original western 
terminus was designated as LaCrosse but g-reater latitude of 
choice was afforded by a charter amendment passed in 1854. 
This, then, was the form of organization which for so 
many years eng-rossed the attention of Manitowoc citizens. 
With the line from Milwaukee connecting- with this trans- 
state route it was thought that a system would be secured that 
would mean much to the future of the region traversed. 



87 
In the meantime those in favor of the two lines were co- 
operating", larg-ely throug^h the efforts of Mr. Reed. In 1852 
Cong-ressman Doty presented a bill to Cong-ress for a land 
grant to the Manitowoc and Mississippi, which althoug-h it 
came to naught, betokened the spirit of the times. Georg-e 
Reed throup^hout the year ag-itated the question of improve- 
ment throug"h the columns of the public press and laid par- 
ticular stress on the Milwaukee road. The year 1852, how- 
ever, passed without definite action. On January 1853 a 
g-rand mass-meeting" was held in Milwaukee to push the pro- 
ject of a northern extension, to which representatives from 
the northern counties were invited. Letters were read from 
Manitowoc and Sheboygan promising that each would take 
$75,000 in the stock of the road, besides furnishing depots and 
water supplies. From Manitowoc there were present C. W. 
Fitch, B. F. White, Benjamin Jones, J. Medbury and J. M. 
Sherwood, the last named being one of the vice-presidents of 
the meeting, while Ezekiel Ricker was chosen as the coun- 
ty representative to act on a steering committe in the 
state legislature. George Reed was one of those who were 
present also and in an address he mentioned the Manitowoc and 
Mississippi as a connection westward. But the lake shore re- 
gion was not alone in desiring the road. There were delegat- 
es from Fond du Lac and Oshkosh present also, who urged 
their interests and, being more influential, in the end they 
won. The section of the road from Chicago to Milwaukee 
was built during 1853 and 1854 and another element was pre- 
sented in the fact that a railroad had already been chartered 
under the name of the Fox River, Milwaukee & Fond du 
Lac Company, which would contest the ground with the 
Chicago, Milwaukee & Green Bav, should the latter take 
the more westerly route. The natujral result was a combina- 
tion of the two schemes, which was successfully accomplish- 
ed, thus forming a powerful check to any hope for the lake 
shore counties. 

On the other hand interest in the Manitowoc & Mississippi 
remained unabated. Its charter was amended in 1853 so as to 
permit it to borrow money and to receive land grants and in 



April an act was passed allowing* towns and counties along- 
its route to hold elections to decide upon the question of 
granting- aid to tlie project. The latter was larg-ely the 
result of Mr, Reed's efforts, he having" sug"g"ested to the vil- 
lag-e authorities that they oug-ht to apply for such an act 
from the leg-islature and he also proposed that the villag^e 
issue $50,000 in coupon bonds, to be sold in sums not less than 
$500, running- twenty years at 7 per cent., payable semi-annu- 
ally. The first directors were chosen in October of this year, 
consisting- of Georg-e Reed, C. Kling-holz, C. Essling-er, Curtis 
Reed,B. Jones, S. A. Wood, H. A. Palmer, K. D. Smith and N. 
P. Clinton. But this action did not meantheactual commence- 
ment of construction for dallying- with the Chicag-o, Milwau- 
kee & Green Bay continued and other schemes arose as 
well. Chief among- the latter projects was the charter g-rant- 
ed to the Michig-an and Wisconsin Terminal Company on 
February 28, 1853. Among- the Manitowoc men fig-uring- as 
stockholders of this road were P. P. Smith, C. E. Essling-er, 
P. Glover and Georg-e Reed and there were besides fourteen 
outsiders interested in the plan. The capital was fixed at 
six millions, at $100 a share, business to be commenced only 
when $200,000 had been subscribed and 5 per cent, paid in, a 
condition precedent which of course was never met. The pro- 
posed route was from Manitowoc to the northern part of the 
state, east of the Lake of the Desert, having- its terminus at 
Keeweenaw Point in Houg-hton Co., Mich., and branches to 
the mouth of the Ontonag-on River and Iron Bay on Lake 
Superior, practically the roule of the present Superior Divis- 
ion of the St. Paul system. Fifteen years were g-iven for its 
completion and subscription books were opened in July at 
Manitowoc, Menasha and oth<:r places. Cong-ressional aid 
was confidently expected but the company never g-ot beyond 
an incipient stag-e. Yet it was in the charter of this road 
that the leg-islature made its first attempt to reg^ulate rates 
in Wisconsin. Another road on paper that came to nothing- 
in that year was the Two Rivers and Green Bay Railroad 
Company, to which a charter was g-ranted on April 2nd. 
Its st'>ck was fijied at $800,000 and the applicants for the . 



89 

charter were H. H. Smith, J. Medbury, W, Aldrich, Horace 
Hamilton, W. B. Medbury, Lemuel House, C. Kuehn and S. 
A. Alden,— all of Two Rivers, D. Smith of Mishicot, E. 
Ricker of Manitowoc and H. S. Baird, T. O. Howe, later a 
U. S. Senator, and J. S. Fiske of Green Bay. The incor- 
poration shows an evident desire on the part of Two Rivers 
for railroad connections independent of her southern neig"h- 
bor, as it was totally unconnected with the other plans. 

In the meanwhile matters had been prog-ressing- with the 
other projects. In December 1853 the village of Manitowoc 
granted the right of way to the M. & M. on Quay, Commer- 
cial and Water Streets. On April 11th of the year following- 
it was decided to vote upon the question of extending village 
aid in the shape of $150,000 in 7 per cent, bonds. The result 
was 92 votes in the afiirmativeandonly 6in the negative, while 
Menasha on May 31st voted a similar amount by 41 majority. 
All then seemed bright and a ratification meeting was called 
at Franklin Hall in Manitowoc, on June 3rd, at which C. Ess- 
linger acted as chairman and S. W. Smith as secretary, the 
following resolutions being passed. 

Resolved, That the projected railroad connecting Manito- 
woc and Menasha is of the first importance to the interests of 
the two places. 

Resolved, That this meeting hails with pleasure the 
triumph of true friends of Menasha in securing for the pro- 
position of the M. & M. R. R. Co., a majority at the recent 
election and respond to the greetings of Menasha with our 
warmest congratulations. 

Resolved, That the citizens of Menasha have evinced a 
praiseworthy regard for the interests of the villag"e by the 
endorsement of an enterprise of importance. 

Resolved, That Manitowoc extends to Menasha the rig-ht 
hand of fellowship with the earnest hope that the union 
cemented between the two places by iron bands may be ac- 
complished at an early day and be as lasting- as the eternal ' 
hills. 

Definite plans were now under way. President Reed mak- 
ing every effort to push matters. It was even rumored itj 



90 

the early part of 1854 that the road would be completed 
in a year. On April 7th Mr. Reed made an exhibit of his 
plan to the villag-e trustees, which resulted in a vote of con- 
fidence by that body and was one of the instrumental causes 
in the favorable popular vote on the bond issue four days 
later. According- to his estimates the cost of the road as far as 
Menashc; would be $924,326, an averag-e of $22,008 for each 
of the forty two miles, including- an equipment consisting- of 
five locomotives, three bag^g-ag-e, eig-ht passeng-er and fifty 
freig-ht cars. These fig-ures were on the basis of estimates 
furnished by C. R. Alton, the consulting- eng-ineer. Mr. Reed 
made his report to the directors in October 1854 in its final 
form, in which he g-ave an extended account of the road's past 
and present. By this time the survey had been completed to 
Lake Winnebag-o and, althoug-h the total distance to the 
Mississippi was 284 miles, it was thoug-ht best to* attempt 
this first portion only. In speaking- of the advantag-es the 
road had there were mentioned the Fox River Valley Re- 
g-ion thus made tributary, the opening- o*f fourteen rich 
counties with a population of 17,672 by means of the intersect- 
ing- plankroads, the connection with the Chicag-o, Milwaukee 
and Green Bay at Manitowoc and with the Pere Marquette 
line then being- proposed in Michig-an by means of a boat line 
and finally with two proposed roads from Menasha to New- 
port and Ripon-. The resources of the road were stated as 
follows: — 

Subscriptions paid in 5 per cent, installment $100,000 

Menasha and Manitowoc Villag-e Bonds 300,000 

Bonds of County to be secured by First Mortg-ag-e. . 420,000 
Additional Stock required 120,000 

940,000 
Entire Cost 924,000 

Balance 15,674 

Of the $120,000 it was thoug-ht $100,000 mig-ht easily be dis- 
posed of in Germany throug-h Charles Kling-holz, the com- 
pany's ag-ent, then in Europe. The first year's receipts, 
estimated at $262,520 would also, it was expected, assist in 



91 

ttiakirig- up atij discrepancy. This was the roseate hue that 
the project assumed in the latter part of 1854. But troubles 
soon commenced. As was said in January 1855: "The basis 
of the road is stock sul)scriptions amounting- to $100,000, 
$300,000 in bonds not yet issued and neg-otiated and a first 
mortg-ag-e on the road amounting- to S420,000, which is yet to 
find a market." Confidence in President Reed was not as 
g-reat as it might have been and even as early as March 1855 
he offered to vacate the position if any one else willing- to 
undertake the work would assume his duties. Hopes in the 
extension of the Chicag-o, Milwaukee & Green Bay had not, 
however, ceased and on March 3rd a meeting- was held at 
which D. H. Van Valkenburg-h acte I as chairman. Mr. Reed 
addressed the meeting-, stating that its object was to complete 
the road to Milwaukee and Chief Eng^ineer Alton of the road 
was also present. A committee of fifteen was appointed to 
push the matter, consisting of O. H. Piatt, P. P. Smith, F. 
Borcherdt, J. Lueps, S. A. Wood, E. D. Beardsley, H. F. Hub- 
bard, D. H. Van Valkenburgh, B Jones, G. L. Lee, F. Salo- 
mon and C. Klingholz. On March 14th a county convention 
to discuss the building- of the road was called and F. Bor- 
cherdt was chosen chairman, H. C. Hamilton of Two Rivers 
acting as secretary. Vice presidents were chosen as follows: 
Manitowoc, IF. Rand; Rapids, G. Clawson; Mishicott, D. 
Smith; Two Rivers, C. Kuehn; Kossuth, J. Edwards; New- 
ton, William Griebling-; Maple Grove, J. Sharp. Resolutions 
were adopted as follows, pledging- the meeting to the support 
of a loan: — 

Whereas, We deem the extension of the Lake Shore 
Railroad to some point within the county a measure of vital 
importance to the ag-ricultural and manufacturing- interests of 
the northern portion of the state and especially of Manitowoc 
County, whereby our pupulation is to be increased, the value 
of our property advanced, our resources developed and the 
facilities of a cheap and easy inter-communication at all sea- 
sons of the year with other portions of the state and the 
Union afforded us, and whereas we are informed that the Lake 
Shore R. R. Co. proposes to extend their road to some point 



92 

within the coililty immediately, provided they receive frottl 
the county sufficient aid and encouragfement to enable them to 
do so, therefore 

Be it Resolved, That for the purpose of enabling- and in- 
ducing" the Lake Shore R. R. to complete their road to some 
point within the count}' it is expedient that the county of 
Manitowoc loan its credit to said company for the sum of 
I 300,000, if such sum be found necessary to accomplish the 
work proposed, provided said company g-ive satisfactory secu- 
rity for the payment of the interest and principal of said loan 
^s the same may fall due. Resolved that a committee of one 
from each town in the county be appointed to correspond with 
the Lake Shore Company and obtain from them a definite 
proposition as to the amount they will need the credit of the 
county for and the security they will return for the same. 

The committee of correspondence was according^ly ap- 
pointed bui all energ-y was wasted for by this time the road 
in question, which later became the nucleus of the Northwes- 
tern system liad already decided to extend nortliward through 
the Fox River Valley reg-ion. 

However as the summer wore on the matters of the Mani- 
towoc & Mississippi advanced. The contract was let to A. 
P. Graham & Co., an eastern firm, but they lacking- confidence 
in the ability of the owners to compensate them assig-ned it to 
N. P. Moulton & Co. in July. Ground was broken by the 
latter firm on June 10, 1855, but the year drag-ged on without 
any continuance of the work. New directors were elected as 
usual in July, S. A. Wood and J. E. Piatt representing- the 
village interests and George Reed being- re-elected president, 
Jacob Lueps, treasurer and Georg-e L. Lee, secretary. On Oc- 
tober 8th a mass meeting was held in the villag'e for the pur- 
pose of raising- the deficiency in the stock subscriptions. 
Among- the speakers were A. W. Buel, recentl}' arrived from 
Detroit, President Reed and Secretary Lee, but the onl}^ re- 
sult was the appointment of a committee to secure the sub- 
scriptions. In the succeeding- March Secretary Lee resig-ned 
and A. Ten Eyck was elected to fill the vacancy. In May the 
contract with N. P. Moulton & Co., was rescinded, since it 




GEORGE REED. 



94 

was seen that they were too timid to continue the work and 
on the I4th of the month Barker & Hoes secured the job, 
gfuaranteeing- to complete the construction by October of the 
year 1857. Time wore on and on July 7th the date for holding- 
the annual director's meeting arrived. Dissentions had been 
gfrowing" and it was soon seen that a faction, headed by Ben- 
jamin Jones, who was a surety for the contractors, was clear- 
ly opposed to the Reed managfement. This faction was at 
first successful, scoring- a point in having- a motion passed that 
only full paid stock should be represented. This permitted 
them to control the meeting- and Charles Cain, a Milwaukee 
mill owner, was chosen president, S. A. Wood, vice president, 
C. Esslinger, treasurer and A. Ten Eyck, secretary; while the 
board of directors comprised C. Cain, B. Jones, J. E. Piatt, S. 
A. Wood, E. D. Beardsley, M. Fellows, all of Manitowoc and 
C. Doty and J. Turner of Menasha. It was decided to put 
forth a grand effort to complete the road by November as far 
as Branch Mills. But the Reed partisans, consisting- of Georg-e 
and Curtis Reed, C. Kling-holz and H. L. Palmer, who had 
been summarily ejected from the directorship, would not down 
and bolted, forming- an org-anizationof their own with Georg-e 
Reed as president. Feeling- g-rew hig-h, the Manitowoc press 
vituperating Mr. Reed and his friends for opposing- the pro- 
g-ress of the road. J. Lueps, however, with g-reat skill secured 
a vote of confidence from the villag-e trustees in the Reed 
manag-ement, much to the chag-rin of many of the latter's 
constituents, since popular sympathy in Manitowoc seemed to 
be with the Cain faction. In fact the representatives from the 
second ward, I. Parrish and H. Rand, were the objects of a 
public remonstrance, sig-ned very numerously, appearing- in 
the weekly Herald on Aug-ust 9th, to which they also replied 
in justification. The vote of confidence had its effect never- 
theless and a temporary compromise was effected by which 
the Cain directors g-ave way to the Reed manag-ement. 

Thoug-h work was resumed and continued throug-hout 
that fall and the following- spring-, by May 1, 1857, one year 
after the contract had been let. Barker & Hoes had only com- 
pleted one third of the g-rading- on the eastern end and no 



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JOSEPH VILAS, SR, 



95 

depot grounds had been fixed. It was in the spring- of that 
year also that the legislature chartered the Manitowoc and 
Fond du Lac Railroad Company, another scheme that came to 
nothing. The projectors were C. Kuehn, W. H. Glover, W. 
Bach, N. Wollmer, B. Jones, C. W. Fitch, T. Clark, C. H. 
Walker, all of Manitowoc and several Fond du Lac parties. 
No steps toward further organization were taken however. 
As to the Manitowoc and Mississippi, confidence began to dis- 
appear and the Green Bay Advocate said in April: "It is our 
honest conviction that the M. & M. railroad when completed 
to Menasha, will not pay for the oil necessary to lubricate its 
car wheels." Manitowoc parties, who acted as guarantors of 
the contractors, became exercised at the progress and a final 
coup was decided upon, by which it was planned to grant the 
first allotment of shares to the contractors in order to facili- 
tate matters. This was done partially by givingthemsixhun- 
dred SlOO shares against the protest of President Keed at a 
meeting held on June 17th. The contractors thereby gained 
a control that Mr. Reed and his friends claimed they had not 
earned. The Reed partisans thus ousted, held a directors' 
meeting- on July 1st and organization was effected as follows: 
President, George Reed; Vice-President, Jacob Lueps; Sec- 
retary, R. Klingholz; Treasurer, N. Wollmer; Stock Agent, 
Jacob Lueps; Directors, G. Reed, N. Wollmer, Curtis Reed, 
B. J. Sweet, J. Lueps, R. Klingholz, A. Baensch and C. H. 
Walker. The Cain organization met five days later and, the 
Barker & Hoes shares being in the majority, put in C. Cain 
as presidei:t, W. Bach as vice-president, and S. A. Wood as 
secretary, B. Jones, J. E. Piatt and S. A. Wood representing 
Manitowoc on the board of directors. Thus it came about 
that two organizations were in existence aiming to build the 
same road and at sword's point with each other. Work con- 
sequently came to a standstill, the Cain organization hinder- 
ing in every way Hewitt & Co., who had been hired by George 
Reed to commence the Menasha end of the road. Taunts 
and recriminations flew fast through the summer of 1857 and 
when Jacob Lueps who was in Germany for the purpose of 
selling the bonds of the road, heard of the turn affairs had 



96 

taken he refused to continue his ag-ency and soon after return- 
ed home. To add to the company's distress the panic of 1857 
came on, business was at a standstill and the road was adver- 
tised for sale for the non-payment of .$3,130 interest due on 
the first mortg^age and Men ash a bonds, the former of which 
had been issued to Azariah Flag-gf and James Horner, New 
York capitalists. President Reed opposed this sale, but his 
opponents had the books and refused to show them up. Suits 
were commenced by the Cain org-anization ag-ainst their op- 
ponents for the proceeds of what bonds had been sold and also 
for other stock. The two Menasha members of the organiza- 
tion, Messrs. Doty and Turner, became frightened and placed 
themselves in the hands of D. F. Pulling-, Cain's attorney, 
with instructions to g^et what settlement could be effected. 
It was decided to postpone the sale finally but this was not 
the end of complications. 

The Menasha residents, havings so much at stake, became 
restive and at a public meeting- called there on January 9, 
1858 it was decided to appoint an investigating- commi'Ltee, 
since certain charg-es were made against Reed's management. 
The committee appointed reported in a few weeks, completely 
exonerating- Reed from all charges and expressing- it as their 
opinion that he could prosecute the work better than anyone 
else. It also censured the action of Dot}- and Turner as also 
that of the Cain supporters at Manitowoc. It was claimed 
that all members of the latter had -'axes to g-rind" in wishing; 
the railroad project harm and that the members of the Cain 
board had no confidence in each other or in their abilit}^ to 
build a road. The financial condition of the project, it was 
reported, was g-ood and all would be well if dissensions could 
be hushed. The statement made was as follows: 

ASSETS: 

Cash Subscriptions S 31,700 

First Mortgag-e Bonds 426,0f'0 

Manitowoc and Menasha Viilagfe Bonds 274,000 

Grading, Bridg-ingr, Ties, etc 360,000 

Due from Contractors (.Overdrawn 52,000 

Farm Mortg-ag-es, Interest on Same 6,800 

Lueps' Subscription conditional on Reed's Management 50,000 

Total .$1,200,500 



97 

LIABILITIES. 

First Mortg-ag-e Bonds in hands of Contractors $ 89,000 

Interest on Bonds^ 4,000 

Miscellaneous 7,500 

Taxes 500 

Full Paid Stock 140,000 

Total $ 241,000 

At this time the road had been graded as far as Keeds- 
ville and iron had been ordered for the first twenty miles. It 
was then that Georg-e Reed made the followingf proposition to 
the committee: 

"Gentlemen: — In answer to your inquiry as to what we 
will undertake to do towards carrying- forward the work of 
the M. & M. we will state ibat if the authorities of the vil- 
lag"es of Menasha and Manitowoc within thirty days will 
treat with and recog-nize the "Reed org-anization"so called in 
contra-distinction to the "Cain org-anization" and agree to 
carry out in g-ood faith the contract as representatives of the 
company and if the villag-e of Menasha and the stockholders 
of Menasha will sustain Hewitt & Co. in their contra*, t with 
the company in prosecution of the work between Menasha 
and Spring- Creek, we will ag-ree to have the whole line of the 
first division of the railroad prepared and completed, ready 
for the iron rail, as early as the first of July next, and also if 
we can command the securities of the company, will agree to 
have the iron purchased and the track laid by the fir>t cf 
October, or as soon thereafter as possible.'' Yours Resj ect- 
fully, George Reed, J, Lueps, C. Kling-holz, C. Reed." 

This offer was, on the recommendation of the committee, 
accepted by the village trustees of Menasha at their meeting- 
on Jan. 29th. Finall3% however, since no prog-ress was being- 
made during- the spring- President Reed resig-ned and, auth- 
orized by a special act of the leg^islature, the stockholders 
met on July 5, 1858, and elected anew manag-ement, in which 
both factions were recog-nized as follows: President, Jacob 
Lueps; vice-president, B. S. Heath, of Menasha; treasurer, 
H. Rahr; secretary, S. A. Wood; chief eng-ineer, F. Salomon; 



98 

directors, J. Lueps, J. M. Sherwdod, R. Kling-holz, Gerard 
Kremers, S. A. Wood, J. E. Piatt, of Manitowoc and B. S. 
Heath and S. M. Bronson of Menasha. Prospects seemed 
brig-ht again and steps were taken toward immediate com- 
pletion, it being- hoped that the road niig-ht be in running- or- 
der by the next July. The g-overnor appointed as a board of 
inspectors Dr. M. F. Davis, F. S. Lovell and Judg-e Howe in 
order to settle all disputes, but the spirit had departed from 
the enterprise and work was not resumed because of lack of 
funds. On April 21. 1859, the interest on the old issue of 
bonds and also on another issue, made in 1858, remaining- 
unpaid the road was advertised for sale and boug-ht in by 
Jacob Lueps and B. Jones for $100,000. In July P. Latimer, a 
New York capitalist, appeared upon the scene and made a 
proposition to Lueps and his associates that he would build 
the road, shipping- the iron within fifteen months, if the vil- 
lag-e would issue its full amount of bonds Besides the bonds 
of the two villages, still unissued amounting to $274,000 he 
also asked $450,000 in first mortg-ag-e security and $242,000 in 
second mortg-ag^e bonds, a total of $977,000. A meeting- of 
citizens was held to discuss the proposition on August 10, S. 
A. Wood acting as chairman and F. Borcherdt as secretary. 
While the villag-e did not desire to g-o ahead and build the 
road itself, it did not favor Mr. Latimer's proposition and the 
majority report of the committee on resolutions was adopted 
as follows: — "Resolved, That the board of trustees of this 
villag-e be advised by this meeting- not to issue any of the 
bonds of the villag-e to the M. and M. Railroad Co. upon the 
contract sig-ned with P. Latimer, submitted to this meeting- 
under date of July 30 and to no other person or compan}- un- 
til sufficient guaranties are given by them that the principal 
and interest of such bonds will be punctually paid and nut 
until such contract in all its bearings and provisions be sub- 
mitted to the people of this villag-e in meeting- assembled." 
G. L. Lee and J. D. Markham signed this report while Tem- 
ple Clark offered a minority report, favoring- Latimer. 

J. E. Piatt went east in September to confer with capit- 
alists and reported on his return to the village trustees fha^ 



99 

they had advised the formation of a new company and an is- 
sue of bonds. Contractor Barker at about the same time of- 
fered to build and equip the road for $874,000, but the resolu- 
tions passed by both the Menasha and Manitowoc trustees, 
favoring- the issue of $75,000 in bonds by each villag-e were 
not a sufficient encourag-ement. During- the fall and succeed- 
ing- months J. Lewis, a financial agent from Toronto looked 
over the road as did also a Mr. Grant, but no offer of comple- 
tion resulted. The Menasha people in the meanwhile blamed 
the Manitowoc stockholders for blocking- Mr. Reed's projects, 
he, it -was claimed, being- the only one capable of completing- 
the road. In May and June of 1860 two Canadian capitalists, 
Messrs. James Beachell, of Toronto and R. Bell, of Ottawa, 
inspected the road, becoming- favorably impressed. They 
mig-ht have come to a definite proposition had it not been for 
an injunction, which had been pending since March 24, se- 
cured by Georg-e and Curtis Reed and aimed at any purchas- 
ers of the road. It seems that certain legal requirements as to 
the publication of notice of the sale had not been met and 
Judg-e Whiton sustained the restraining- order. The Reeds re- 
fused to settle the matter and feeling- ag-ainst them was again 
very hig-h on the part of those who desired to transfer the 
property. It was proposed in June that there should bean 
election and re-organization but the fears then entertained on 
the part of the Menasha people that the destination of the 
road mig-ht be changed to Appleton interfered with such an 
arrangement. No officers had been elected since 3858 and in 
the threatening- days, so full of political excitement, in 
the latter part of 1860, further interest in railroad matters 
seemed to lapse, although feeble attempts were made at re- 
organization the succeeding spring-. The Reed organization 
continued to hold adjourned meeting-s, lacking- a quorum, 
throug-hout the war, thus leading- an anomalous existence, 
with headquarters in Menasha. 

After the issue of the war had been decided attention was 
ag-ain turned towards railroad matters. A proposal was made 
in January 1864 that all stockholders place their shares on a 
common basis to be disposed of to some eastern men with 



I o'O. 



100 

capital enoug-h to construct the road. Mr. Reed also had pro- 
posals to make at about this time, he having- effected an un- 
derstanding with Jacob Lueps, the purchaser of the rights of 
way. Two years passed, the Reed organization still maintain- 
ing- its leg-al existence. Then on April 4, 1866, the charter of 
the M. & M. was consolidated, the new incorporators being- 
Georg-e Reed and Jos. Vilas of Manitowoc; Henry Hewitt, R. 
M. Scott and Curtis Reed of Menasha. Georg-e Reed was 
chosen president and Joseph Vilas vice-president and on 
March 1st an act was passed providing- that whenever the 
company should deposit in the First National bank $100,000 
and release the village from the $37,000 in bonds then due 
the clerk of the villag-e should deposit $100,000 of the villag-e 
bonds subject to exchang-e for stock in the company. Two 
3"ears more passed without definite action when, on March 6, 
1868, the Manitowoc and Minnesota company was org-anized 
to succeed to the corporate rig-hts of the old M. & M, The 
promoters were Henry Hewitt, Curtis Reed, R. Klingholz, I. 
S. Buck and George Reed and the capital stock was fixed at 
ten millions. It wasg-iven the power to enforce the bonds of 
its predecessors and the first directors were to be elected in 
May 1869. It was expected that the aid of such capitalists as 
Hiram Barnard and S. J. Tilden of New York could be en- 
listed and it was planned to include Appleton on the route 
and to reach the Mississippi. Judg-e Reed thought to take 
advantage of an old grant of a right of way to Lake Superior 
via Stevens Point, a distance of about three hundred miles in 
all, —eventually the line of the Wisconsin Central. Eastern 
connections with the F. & P. M., which had been urged as 
early as 1857, were again proposed also. In September the vil- 
lage board put the question of advancing $100,000 in village 
bonds to aid the project and the election held on the 22nd re- 
sulted as follows: For proposition, 304; against, 80, a major- 
ity of 224. The usual delay resulted, however, and by this 
time attention was turning in another direction. 

It seems that a grant had been made to a company 
known as the Milwaukee and Lake Superior railroad in 1856, 
its rights being extended ten years in 1866. Capitalists had 



101 

taken up this project, which had been allowed to lapse so long- 
and on March 5, 1869 it was g-iven permission by the leg-is- 
lature to build its road throug-h Cedarburg-, Grafton, Port 
Washington, Sheboyg-an, Manitowoc and Green Bav to some 
point on Lake Superior. F. W. Horn, the president of the 
road, visited Manitowoc in October 1869 in its interest and a 
railroad meeting- was held on November 13. Captain Guyles 
acted as chairman, F. Borcherdt as secretary and among- the 
speakers were J. D. Markham, E. B. Treat, C. E. Essling-er, 
S, A. Wood and D. Smoke. Committees were appointed and 
soon Joseph Vilas, always a master org-anizer, was attracted 
towards the new plan as a most practicable project. Mr. 
Reed, however, did not remain inactive and in December asked 
further aid for his road to pay the expense of a survey and 
other preliminaries. A vote on the question of advancing- it 
was taken, resulting- in 103 for and 188 against the proposi- 
tion and it was thus seen that Manitowoc was not favorable to 
his plans. The railroad committee, appointed in November, 
went to Appleton and found the people there very enthusiastic 
over the prospects of a new outlet. Another meeting: was 
called for January .'"9th, 1870 at Kling-holz Hall. Captain 
Guyles again acted as chairman and the principal business 
was the receipt of a letter from Milwaukee, asking- what as- 
sistance Manitowoc would g-ive. A second committee was ac- 
cording-ly appointed, consisting- of S. A. Wood, C. E. Ess- 
linger, J. Lueps and J. D. Markham to g-o to Madison and as- 
sist in securing- a charter. The strug-gle was a hard one, the 
opponents of the project being- the Milwaukee & Northern and 
the Wisconsin Central, the latter of which was now being- 
built with Georg-e Reed asoneof its principal promoters. The 
committee representing- Manitowoc worked hard and long- but 
their efforts at first met with disappointment for on March 
2nd the assembly by a vote of 43 to 41 voted ag-ainst the char- 
ter. A few days later, however, an amendment was assented 
to chang-ing- the name from that of the Milwaukee, Manito- 
woc, Mississippi & Minnesota company, which had been pro- 
posed, to the Milwaukee, Manitowoc & Green Bay and, as 
such, articles of incorporation were g-ranted to it on March 



102 

lOth. The capital stock was fixed at five millions, with auth- 
ority granted to double the amount and the incorporators 
were Joseph Vilas, Charles Cain, I. M. Btan, D. Taylor, F. 
Hilg-er, J. W. Vail, S. W. Cozzens, Levi Blossom, R. C. Mer- 
ring-ton, W. S. Chandler and Jacob Lueps, most of them out- 
side capitalists. Authority was gfiven to towns, villages and 
counties along- its route to g-rant aid also. In the same month 
org-anization was effected by the election of the following- of- 
ficers: — l*resident, Charles Cain; vice-president, S. W. Coz- 
zens; secretary Joseph Vilas; treasurer, R. O. C. Merring-ton. 
Ihus all the elements, it will be seen, that were present in 
the older railroad efforts in the county were in the new or- 
g-anization, minus Mr. Reed, who opposed this new project 
strenuously in' the leg-islature and outside it. 

A large mass meeting- was held on March 23rd at which 
it was decided without a dissenting- vote to submit to the 
citizens the question whether or not the county should sub- 
scribe $250,000. In the meantime a meeting- was held of the 
* directors of the old Appleton & New London Railroad com- 
pany, which had existed for some years on paper and Joseph 
Vilas was elected president, so that the management of the 
two roads became almost identical. The charter of this latter 
road had been so amended that it mig-ht connect with the 
other at some point on Lake Michig^an and from 1870 on it 
and the Milwaukee, Manitowoc & Green Bay were one pro- 
ject. The vote in Manitowoc county was taken on April 12th. 
Manitowoc city and town voted in favor of the bond issue al- 
most unanimously, 1,493 ballots being- so cast and majorities 
favorable were secured also in the towns of Rapids, Kossuth, 
Cato, Newton, Franklin and Rockland, amounting- to 2,544 
while an ag-g-reg-ate majority of 1,921 against the issue was 
the result in Two Rivers, Mishicot, Gibson, Meeme, Maple 
Grove, Liberty, Cooperstown, Centreville, Two Creeks and 
Schleswig-. The aid voted was divided, $150, OOOto the Apple- 
ton and New London and $100,000 to the Milwaukee, Manito- 
woc & Green Ba}" and the result of the total vote was 597 
majority for the latter and 661 for the former proposition. In 
the words of the local press: "Now one more railroad com- 



103 

patly has g"ot all it has asked for from the county and we are 
waiting- for them to fulfill their part of the contract." Brown 
county also signified a willingness to aid the project, if as- 
surances would be given that the road would touch that sec- 
tion. 

Work beg-an on the road north of Milwaukee in May and on 
June 4th Port Washington voted to take $30,000 of stock in 
the Milwaukee, Manitowoc & Green Bay by 210 majority. Di- 
rectors were elected in July and the following officers also 
chosen: — President, Joseph Vilas; vice-president, C. Cozzens, 
of New York; secretary, R. Merrington; treasurer, C. C. 
Barnes. During 1870 and 1871 the Milwaukee & Northern 
Railroad company was also pushed and the town of Schles- 
wig by a large majority granted $15,000 in aid to the road. 
Joseph Vilas, president of the other road, was in the mean- 
while making frequent trips to New York, interesting capital 
there and getting- matters in final shape for the construction. 
It was his persistent efforts more than anything else that 
brought about a successful consummation of the plans so 
soon. Other projects were still considered, however, and in 
January 1871 George Reed called a meeting- at the courthouse 
in the interests of the old Manitowoc & Minnesota, promising- 
to build the road to Menasha in a year, providing the city 
would get the right of way ready for the rails. Another 
meeting was held by O. 11. Waldo and other promoters of a 
scheme to build a road from Milwaukee to Manitowoc via 
Cedarburg and Sheboygan Falls but neither ihis nor the for- 
mer proposition were favoral)ly received, the Manitowoc and 
Minnesota a few months later becoming consolidated with 
the Wisconsin Central and George Reed being elected presi- 
dent of both corporations. Thereafter his interest in Manito- 
woc railroad projects was at an end. For twenty years had 
he been identified with them and there are those who believe 
that had he been allowed to proceed unhampered at the first 
the Manitowoc & Mississippi mig-ht have been built and in 
active operation before the Civil war. 

In the meanwhile work was being pushed on the Apple- 
ton & New London, between Appleton and Manitowoc, the 



104 

part first to be built. President Vilas in April, 1871, pur- 
chased 1500 tons of iron rails, a locomotive and several plat- 
form cars, the rails arriving- May 30. In the early dawn of 
Sunday morning-, June 22, the first locomotive, named the 
Benjamin Jones, after the city's founder, was broug-ht into 
the harbor on board the two-masted schooner Mediterranean, 
having- been shipped on the craft atBuffalo. All day a stream 
of visitors g-azed upon this herald of a new da}' and hopes for 
the future seemed now near realization. The lofty railroad 
bridg-e near Branch Mills was constructed in this month and 
in July at a meeting- of the stockholders all was reported as 
prosperous. Joseph Vilas was re-elected president, Henry 
Mann chosen vice-president, C.Luling-, secretary, C. C. Barnes, 
treasurer and eleven directors, two from Milwaukee, one from 
Port Washing-ton, three from Sheboyg-an, besides Jacob 
Lueps, J. D. Markham, M. Fellows, C. H. Walker and Joseph 
Vilas, were elected. It had now been definitely settled that 
Appleton was to be upon the route and upon the advice of Hi- 
ram Barnard, the New York capitalist, that city extended. 
considerable aid. The satisfaction expressed by the rapidity 
of the work on the Appleton division was augmented, when 
in September news reached the city that work north of Mil- 
waukee would be pushed immediately. In June the company 
asked for further aid, $75,000 of the city of Manitowoc and 
$25,000 from Two Rivers. The latter was to be in considera- 
tion of an ag-reement to build a branch to that cit)' along- the 
line granted the year before (on March 24, 1871) by the leg-is- 
lature to the Manitowoc & Big- Sturg-eou R. R. Co., the incorpo- 
rators of which were J. Vilas, John Schuette and C. C. Barnes^ 
of Manitowoc; H. H. Smith of Two Rivers and W. Wyatt of 
Kenosha. Meeting-s were held to discuss this new proposal 
and sentiment seemed to be so in favor of the extra aid that an 
election was held on June 7th, resulting- as follows in Mani- 
towoc: Wards. For Against 

I. 152 77 

II. 99 17 

III. 232 39 

IV. 125 54 
Total, 578 187 



105 

In Two Rivers the vote was taken on the 24th of Jaly and 
resulted in 299 votes being- cast in favor of the proposition as 
ag-ainst 96 against it, a result which met with enthusiastic 
acclainii Sheboygan city also voted S50,000 and the county 
$80,000 in aid of the project, the sum total of the amounts 
voted by the lake shore counties to the road being $480,000. 
In the fall of 1872 the road from Manitowoc to Appleton was 
opened for business. Work was also progressing north of 
Milwaukee, being completed as far as Sheboyg-an by the time 
winter set in, under the able management of engineerH.G.H. 
Reed, in charg-eof the construclion. The panicof 1873 did not 
interrupt the work, due to the efforts of President Vilas, and 
on September 22nd of that year the road was formally opened 
to Milwaukee, the Two Rivers branch being completed the 
following year. During 1872 and 1873 the officers remained 
unchanged with the exception of the addition of Charles Lu- 
ling, who acquired interests in the project at about this time. 
The name Milwaukee Lake Shore & Western was assumed 
in 1873 as the designation of the consolidated system. 
Trouble soon arose, however, the road being- unable to meet 
its obligations held by eastern capitalists and early in 1874 it 
became necessary to turn it over to the bondholders. Direc- 
tors Fellows, Lueps, Markham, Elwell and Cotzhausen 
stepped out and L. Wells, W. H Guion, S. S. Sands and S. 
H. Knox of New York City; I. C. Horning of Philadelphia 
and R. Bard of Baltimore, who had bought the bonds, filled 
the places vacated. On May 6th a re-org-anization was effect- 
ed, F. W. Rhinelander of New York succeeding Mr. Vilas as 
president and Henry Mann of Milwaukee being chosen vice- 
president. Old obligations were then settled, claims adjusted 
and the road extended westward from Appleton from year to 
year until the Lake Shore system became one of the best 
equipped of the smaller roads of the state. Joseph Vilas and 
Charles Luling were at this time and for many succeeding 
years the only Manitowoc men interested in the road, being 
directors. 

It can scarcely be said that Manitowoc received all the 
benefit it had expected from railway connections. The much 



106 

hoped for eastern lake route did not materialize and, althoug-h 
the division railroad shops were located at Manitowoc at first, 
even these wereretuoved to Kaukaunain 1883 much to the cha- 
g-rin and detriment of the city. In 1884 rumors to the effect 
that the Two Rivers branch would be extended to Kewarnee 
were rife and ag-ain in 1887 the Milwaukee and Northern con- 
templated an extension from Kiel to Kewaunee, public meet- 
ing's to consider the project being- held in the country towns 
but no action resulted from either project. In the meanwhile 
the city and county were beginning- to realize that the mon- 
ey subscribed for stock in the railroad companies had, by the 
reorg-anization of the M. L. S. & W. , become a debt and noth- 
ing- more. The county board in January, 1884 appointed a 
committee, consisting- of Supervisors Stoker, Schmitz and 
McCarty, to investigate the matter and see if any relief was 
possible. At that time $216,000 of the county subscription 
was still unpaid and all the money advanced by the cities of 
Manitowoc and Two Rivers was owing-. An attempt had been 
made in earlier years to come to some ag-reement, notable in 
the efforts being- John Carey, but the cities had been back- 
ward in co-operating-, wishing- to ascertain what were the 
company's motives. Two lawyers were consulted by the com- 
mittee and g-ave their opinions, Michael Kirwan holding- that 
the t:ounty had no redress and was bound to pay the bonds 
while F. W. Cotzhausen of Milwaukee maintained an exactly 
contrary position. It was finally referred to Attorney Joshua 
Stark of Milwaukee, who upheld Judg-e Kirwan's opinion. 
The county bonds became due on July 1, 1890, being- held in 
New York, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and elsewhere, selling- in 
1888 at a premium of five per cent. In that year another com- 
mittee, consisting- of J. P. Nolan, of Maple Grove; J. Mur- 
phy of Cato and F. Schuette of Manitowoc, was chosen by 
the board to ascertain the best method of paying- off the debt. 
Discussion continued at intervals until the November session 
in 1889 when the proposition of County Treasurer Gielow was 
adopted, by which the bonds were to be refunded and an ar- 
rang-eriient made to pay $18,000 annually for fifteen years. 
The town of Schleswig was meeting- with similar questions with 



107 

regard to its Mil waukee& Northern bonds and made a settlement 
somewhat similar, agreeing- to pay $1000 for thirteen years. 
During- the twenty years these bonds had run Schleswig- had 
paid $24,000 in interest, nearly twice the amount of the orig-- 
inal aid extended. The bonds of the cities of Manitowoc and 
Two Rivers became due in 1892 and the former refunded the 
?35,000 then remaining- due in twenty year bonds. Two Riv- 
ers making- a similar arrang-ement. On several occasions talk 
arose of possible connections between the M. L. S. & W. and 
the Wisconsin Central but nothing- definite came of it. 
In 1889 the former asked the city council of Manitowoc for a 
franchise g-ranting- the rig-ht of way on Franklin and Quay 
streets from their depot to the lake front, promising- the city 
much benefit from proposed improvements at the latter point. 
Much opposition arose, however, and General Manag-er Whit- 
comb and Mr. Thayer representing- the road were called up- 
on to address the council upon the matter. The rig-ht of way 
was finally g-ranted after the imposition of some conditions 
as to the use of the same. Damag-e suits were then brought 
by abutting- property holders, which drag-ged on for many 
■years, the attorneys for the plaintiffs, Sedg-wick, Sedg-wick & 
Schmidt, finally securing a decision in the fall of 1901. The 
railroad company had boug-ht the Hinckley and Allen prop- 
erty, consisting of nineteen acres, on the lake shore for $13,- 
000 but year after year passed without any of the promised 
improvements being- made with the exception of the building- 
of a warehouse for the transferring- of freig-ht to the F. & P. M. 
liners. In 1891 steps were taken looking- toward the incorpor- 
ation of the M. L. S. & W. into the Chicag-o & Northwestern 
system. By this time no Manitowoc capital was invested in 
the former road and the chang-e, perfected Aug-ust 19, 1893, 
would have been immaterial had it not injured the city's fa- 
cilities by the fact that many of the throug-h trains were 
thereafter run over the Wisconsin instead of the Ashland di- 
vision, as the Lake Shore was now called. About the time of 
the chang-e a depot was built, which filled anlong- felt need, 
the new structure being- a neat and commodious one, costing- 
115,000, Although the C. & N. W.. continued throug-h .ship^ 



108 

ments across the lake in 1892 business fell off and the panic 
of the next 3'ear still further depressed trade. The Kewaunee 
short line, established at about the same time was also a dis- 
turbing- factor affecting- local business. It was at this unpro- 
pitious time that the Northwestern asked for the vacation of 
the lake front street ends on the south side, thus raising- a 
question that vexed the city fathers all during the summer of 

1893. Upon showing- that it was purchasing- the rig-ht of way 
for a proposed belt line around the southern limits of the city 
the company was unanimously g-ranted the privilege after 
much opposition. The belt line was, not, however, completed 
until five years later. 

And now in the time of deepestindustrial depression, when 
Manitowoc seemed to have little future before her there 
came to a head as magnificent a scheme of transportation as 
the city had ever hoped for. The old desire to be located on a 
throug-h line to the east, which had been entertained as early 
as the fifties, was finally obtained and that throug-h the me- 
dium of the Wisconsin Central, by the strange irony of Fate, 
the successor to the very privileges granted to the Manito- 
woc & Mississippi. The earliest rumor of an extension of the 
Central eastward from Menasha gained currency through the 
columns of the Milwaukee and Menasha papers in January, 

1894, althoug-h it later came to lig-ht that ha 1 it not been for 
the panic the road would have been built in 1892. In Decem- 
ber 1894 the Superior & Southeastern filed articles of incor- 
poration, of which Ex-State Treasurer Hunner was one of 
the projectors, with Manitowoc or Sheboygan as its projected 
terminus. The plan although it did not g-o beyond the stage 
of incorporation preceded by a few weeks certain peculiar ac- 
tions that continued to mystify citizens for three months. Op- 
tions were taken on city propert}^ just above and north of the 
Main street bridge, surveyors were seen in the neighboring- 
country and wild rumors were afloat. Some thought that the 
land was being- secured by the C. & N. W., others that the 
Inter-Ocean Transportation company was seeking- property 
and still others attributed the actions to the Wisconsin Cen- 
|:ral but the result was that the price of lots went up and 



109 

Manitowoc experienced something- of a real estate boom. Zan- 
der & Co., planing mill proprietors, and others sold their 
property on what was known as "the flats" and condemna- 
tion proceedings were filed on March 20th by a corporation 
calling itself the Manitowoc Terminal company against 
many of the neighboring tracts. The true facts of the case 
did not come out until April 18, when in a special edition of 
the Manitowoc Pilot the whole matter became public infor- 
mation. It seems that the Wisconsin Central had been re- 
sponsible for the activity and that as channels of action there 
were two corporations, the Manitowoc Terminal company 
and the Milwaukee & Lake Winnebago Railway company. 
The former secured quietly all of what was known as "Ship- 
yard Point" and "Lueps' Island "while the latter had been 
obtaining a right of way westward to Hilbert Junction. Con- 
tinuous dockage and acres of track space were thus afforded 
and it was announced that the depots would be placed near 
the Main street bridge. The vastness of the project was ear- 
ly understood; in the language of a newspaper of the time: 
"It is self evident that these lines are not to be built to se- 
cure local business but have in view eastern connections." 
But most remarkable of all the company asked no bonus, 
merely requesting the vacation of the streets on the "flats." 
Fear that it might be the C. & N. W. in disguise was quieted 
by the arrival on May 8, of E. H. Abbott, president of the 
Central; General Manager Whitcomb, Chief Engineer Tweedy 
and P. S. Abbott. The project by this time had become wide- 
ly advertised and Manitowoc received much notice. Attorney 
Gill appeared before the council upon the question of the va- 
cation of the streets on May 13th and President Greenleaf of 
the Manitowoc Terminal company communicated with that 
body concerning necessary co-operation by the city in dredg- 
ing the river soon after. • 

The contracts for the grading of the new road were let to 
Evans & Ricliards of Minneapolis in a month and the work 
was completed by May 1, 1896. Sub-contractors took the job 
of digging the deep cuts, one of which required the excava- 
tion of 158,000 cubic yards of earth. A commencement at the 



110 

grading- of the terminals was made in November 1895 and 
dredg-ing continued during the fall and succeeding spring. 
Railroad officials were frequent visitors during the spring 
months in order that they might keep in touch with the 
work being done. At last the rails were laid and the first train 
crossed the new jack knife bridge, which had been erected near 
the ship 3'ards, at 3:10 p ra. on June 24, 1896, the last spike 
of the road being driven by Captain Carle of the Manitowoc 
police force. W. Vandegrift of Appleton was chosen local 
agent and the road was formally opened on July 2nd. The 
train bearing the officials arrived in charge of Conductor 
Scott and Kngineer Nolan on the morning of that day and 
speeches were made upon the depot platform by Mayor Torri- 
son. President Abbott, Joseph Vilas and H. G. Kress. Freight 
sheds were soon constructed and a passenger service of two 
trains daily in each direction established. Little villages, 
such as Potters, Valders, Madden and Coll ins sprang up along 
the route forming centers of shipment for farming commun 
ities. Extensive yards were established north of the Manito- 
woc river and it was not many months before they were filled 
with cars enroute to the east. All this railroad activity led 
to increased marine facilities:, the establishment of elevators 
and also of carferry routes, referred to in the preceding pages. 

The energy displayed by the Central in opening termin- 
als at Manitowoc seemed to have an inspiring effect on the 
Chicago & Northwestern as well. Early in 1895 rumors were 
abroad that the latter would utilize the carferry system and 
build slips on its lake front property. It was finally decided 
by that company to improve its facilities and in May 1896 a 
slip 450 by 110 feet was constructed. Coal docks with a capac- 
ity of 250,000 tons were also added, being- managed and oper- 
ated by eastern firms, until sold to the Reiss Compan}^ in 
1899. With all these improvements business naturally in- 
creased at a rapid rate until in 1900 that done through the 
local office of the Northwestern was greater than at any pi^int 
on the system outside of Chicag-o and Milwaukee. 

What the future has for Manitowoc in the way of rail- 
iroad development it would be difficult to tell. It is well 




THOMAS WINDIATE 



Ill 

known that some corporation has purchased the rig-ht of way 
over the submerg-ed property from the north side of the river 
entrance to the mouth of the Little Manitowoc and it may be 
that some day another belt line may be added or indeed facil- 
ities may be increased in a different way. Rumors have been 
prevalent in years past of the entrance of the Illinois Central, 
the Chicag-o, Milwaukee & St. Paul and other lines, but defin- 
ite results have not been forthcoming-. Nevertheless the city 
need have no fear of the future when it is considered how 
much mone}^ is invested in terminal facilities. In truth it 
seems as if the dreams of the villag^e founders were at last 
approaching- consummation. 

Manitowoc has been somewhat tardy in securing- street 
railway facilities. In September 1887 a franchise was asked 
for by P. S. Tillson and Henry Schmidt, of Manitowoc and 
H. Saemann of Sheboyg-an. The matter was not pushed, 
however, and it was not until the summer of 1900 that it was 
revived. At this time Thomas Hig-g-ins of Menasha and 
Henry Hig-g-ins of Marinette, both street car promoters, asked 
for a franchise under the name of the Manitowoc & Northern 
Traction Company, proposing- to run an interurban system 
between Manitowoc and Two Rivers with possible later ex- 
tensions to Kewaunee and other northern points. After some 
discussion and competition by other promoters the Hig-g-ins 
brothers were granted a thirty-five year franchise by the city 
council of Manitowoc on October 13th and by that of Two 
Rivers soon after. Construction was beg-un the following" 
June and the road was opened for traffic in the spring- of 1902. 
Some activity was also manifested throug-hout 1900 and 1901 
by a traction compan}", which proposed to extend a line 
northward from Sheboyg-an throug-h Manitowoc county to 
Green Bay. Votes favorable to the project were taken in sev- 
eral of the townships but no definite action followed. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



MILITARY. 



The American always rejoices in the annals of his mili- 
tary achievements. That the valor of the nation has stood 
the test of many a conflict is sufficient cause for such a feel- 
ing-. Such a pride loses nothing- of its essence but is in fact 
enhanced when history is narrowed down and broug-ht home 
to any community. Thus the part played by Manitowoc 
county in military affairs of over a half a century is of inter- 
est, the more so since all of the actors were known as neig-h- 
bors and many of them linger still in the form of sad memo- 
ries in the minds of the older g^eneration. 

When Wisconsin was org-anized as a territor}^ the old 
southern militia system, wherein every able bodied citizen 
within certain ag-e limits was enrolled, was adopted. Of 
course in such a newly settled reg-ion it was impossible to 
mobilize the force or to hold any drills but the system ex- 
isted on paper nevertheless. As early as the later thirties 
Manitowoc county was assig-ned as a part of the Second reg-i- 
ment, remaining- so for some years. Reorganization took 
place in 1839 and in 1842 the county regiment system was 
adopted, whereby each county was made a unit of military 
organization, Manitowoc being- a part of the First Bat., Sec- 
ond Reg-., First division. According- to the records on Febru- 
ary 17, 1842 Company E was constituted as follows: — Captain, 
Pliny Pierce; first lieutenant, Alfred Wood; second lieuten- 
ant, P. P. Smith. In 1847 T. A. H. Edwards was made colo- 
nel of the Manitowoc county militia, C. H. Champlin, lieu- 
tenant-colonel and A. D. Soper major. Then came the Mexi- 
can war, causing- a g-eneral reorg-anization in military circles. 



113 

Manitowoc county was too far in the wilderness to take a 
part in this struggle, althoug-h a few of the later settlers, 
notably S. W. Smith, had served in it. The Wisconsin mili- 
tia reg-iments w^ere brig-aded at about this time and in 1848 
Daniel Bolles was made colonel of the county reg^iment. Such 
appointnienis continued during- the fifties, among- those hold- 
ing- military commissions being; J. M. Sherwood, W. Lozier, 
S. W. Smith and Temple Clark, the latter becoming- partic- 
ularl}^ prominent as major-general of a district composing" 
Manitowoc, Calumet, Brown and Kewaunee counties, known 
as the Eighth division. Reverend M. Hoy t was division chap- 
lain in the later fifties, Colonel A. Wittnian, quartermaster, 
Dr. White of Two Rivers surgeon and H. C. Hamilton of the 
same place aide to General Clark. In the first brig-ade were 
Manitowoc and Calumet counties under command of Brig^a- 
dier-General S. W. Smith, F. Borcherdt acting- as aide and 
Dr. A. W. Preston as surgeon. Manitowoc county composed 
the Thirteenth regiment under Colonel F. Salomon, Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel W. A^ldrich and Major C. Bates. Under this sys- 
tem, which obtained until 1861, there were about 2,600 en- 
rolled militia in the county. 

An end was put to this more or less amateur soldiering- by 
the approach of the dark clouds that portended serious civil 
struggle. The crash came suddenly and in the county as in 
fact throughout the whole north it was almost stunning- in 
its effect. Busied with plans of material development the 
settlers along- the lake shore had not realized the imminence 
of war until Sumter was fired upon. But then like thousands 
of other communities enthusiasm and interest was at a hig-h 
pitch. Six days after the first g-un had been fired the first 
war meeting was called at Manitowoc in the courthouse. It 
was convened by President Collins of the village; J. F. Guy- 
les was chosen chairman aud E. D. Beardsley and S. W. 
Smith secretaries. Speeches were made by Temple Clark, 
Henry Baetz, B. Anderson and Dr. Preston and then the 
committee on resolutions, consisting- of C. C. Barnes, J. D. 
Markham and Jere Crowley, brought in a report. Some dis- 
agreement arose, Mr. Crowley not signing the report favored 



114 

by the other two members, he being" at the time a sympath- 
izer with the south. Inflammatory speeches followed by C. C. 
Barnes and W. M. Nichols but Mr. Crowle}', when called up- 
on, refused to express his opinions, introducingc instead a Mr. 
Wright of New York, who happened to be in the villag^e. 
The latter was a strong- Secessionist and made bold to say 
that he would fly the Palmetto flag- from his sailboat, which 
was in the harbor, but the crowd would have none of him 
and he was hissed to his seat. Resolutions were then offered 
by P. P. Smith favoring Lincoln and recommending the rais- 
ing- of a company. These were passed after a wordy battle 
and volunteers were called for. The meeting- was one of the 
larg-est ever held in the villag-e. Similar gathering-s were 
held in Two Rivers and interest was high there also, it being- 
stated on April 24th that "the volunteers from Two Rivers 
will more than fill a company." Two days before forty men 
had enlisted at Manitowoc and this n amber was increased by 
fourteen the next day. Judg-e Thayer of the circuit court was 
at the time holding a terra at Manitowoc and in his charge 
to the grand jury referred feelingly to the stirring times. On 
the evening of the 22nd another rousing meeting was held, a 
procession being formed to escort Judge Thayer to the court- 
house, where he addressed the citizens. J. F. Guylesacted as 
chairman and S. W. Smith and Otto Troemrael as secretaries 
while among the speakers were Reverend Engle, J. A. Bent- 
ley, J. D. Markham, C. C. Barnes, Temple Clark, C. C. Ess- 
linger and A. Wittmann. The company then mobilizing was 
soon denominated the Manitowoc County Guards and on April 
2'>th it elected officers as follows: — Captain, Temple Clark;first 
lieutenant, Horace Walker; second lieutenant, Peter Scher- 
flus, after which Banker M. V. Adams made a patriotic 
speech. Three Mishicot young men. Lafayette Smith, James 
W. Langworthy and Horace Price, together with D. A. Shove 
and G. E- Waldo of Manitowoc, did not await the calling out 
of the Manitowoc Guards and accordingly went to Milwau- 
kee and joined the First Regiment, being the first from the 
county to enlist and see active service. 




G. hSSLINjcR 



115 

All throug-li the county by this time the people were 
aroused. At Branch Mills a flag- raising- afforded the occasion 
of expressing enthusiasm and a similar occurrence took place 
at the Second ward school in the villag-e of Manitowoc. In 
the meanwhile interest centered in Captain Clark's company, 
the support g-iven to it being unanimous. A private subscrip- 
tion was raised amounting- to $1800 to form a soldiers' fund 
as a further inducement to enlistment. In the list were $100 
gifts from C. C. Barnes, W. Goodenow, Piatt & Vilas, J. 
Lueps and B. Jones & Co. and $50 donations from T. C. 
Shove, W. Murphy, T. & J. Robinson, M. Fellows, J. Ben- 
nett, Collins & Co., Louis Sherman, J. A. Koehler, T. Wind- 
iate, S. Hill, J. Richards, McDonald & Bros., Beer & Kern, 
C. Esslinger, J. S. Guyles, A. Wittman, J. D. Markham, T. 
G. Olmstead, H. Berner, J. RoefFs, E. Haywood, W. Hand, 
G. Glover, H. Baetz, W. H. Nichols, R. Klingholz and O. 
Torrison. Said the Weekly Herald: "If every man in the com- 
pany wants the Herald for his parents, wife or sweetheart 
while he is fighting he shall have it." On May 1st 1861 Cap- 
tain Temple Clark issued the following proclamation to citi- 
zens: "The company of volunteers from this county has been 
accepted by the governor and the officers commissioned. The 
company will be clothed and equipped at the expense of the 
state as soon as they are assigned to a regiment and ordered 
to rendezvous; in the meantime they will be kept under con- 
stant drill and such of them as do not belong in- the village 
will be boarded at the expense of the state. One of the most 
necessary articles for the equipment of the soldier is the 
blcinket. The enormous demand for these renders it impossi- 
ble for the state to procure them in sufficient quantities to 
furnish all the volunteers in the state unless aided by private 
contributions of this article and we are obliged to make a call 
upon all our patriotic citizensto contribute' from their priyate 
stores as many blankets as they can spare towards supplying- 
this necessary want of our company. Respectfully Yours, 
Temple Clark." 

The result was the formation among the ladies of the vil- 
lage of societies for the preparation of necessaries for the 



116 

soldiers. The Guards in the meantime were fearful lest the 
war mig-ht be broug-ht to a sudden termination and thus they 
be deprived of an opportunity to show their valor. At last 
after several weeks of weary waiting- Captain Clark received 
orders on May 2lst to till his company to a full quota of 100 
men and to be ready to march upon a moment's notice. Six 
days later a third mass meeting- was held and stirring ad- 
dresses made, patriotism being foremost in all minds. Still no 
word came for the company to move. On June 12th Colonel 
Emery arrived and mustered the company into the state ser- 
vice. During- the same week a beautiful ceremony took place 
in the presentation of a flag- to the company made b}" the la- 
dies of the villag-e, the presentation address being- made by 
Mrs. Collins and the captain replying- in a few feeling words. 
The flag- was captured at Col(J Harbor but was later retaken 
and after an exhibition at the Centennial was placed in the 
Capitol at Madison. 

Then came the command to mobilize at Madison and on 
Sunday evening, June 23rd, 1861, the Manitowoc County 
Guards embarked on the Goodrich liner Comet and were car- 
ried southward. The larg-est crowd ever assembled in the vil- 
lag-e was present at the pier and the scenes enacted were of a 
nature never to be fofg-aiten as partings were said, in 
many instances for the last time. Upon arrival at Camp Ran- 
dall in Madison drilling was the order of the da}^ and on July 13 
the men were mustered into the United States service as 
Corripany \, Fifth Wisconsin infantr3^ Said the Madison 
Journal of the company: "They are strong-, hardy men from 
the lumbering districts, who have been well drilled in ma- 
chinery biit have not been exercised in the manual of arms." 
This paper also described graphically the surrounding-s of 
the company's quarters. White pebbles had been utilized to 
make inscriptions g-iving the name of the org-anization and 
in front of the captain's tentwerethe words: ''Captain Clark, 
God Bless Him," while three flags floated above this portion 
of the camp. The record of the Fifth during- the war was a 
noble one. After the battle of Bull Run the regiment with 
others was hurried to the front and the first eng-ag-ement in 



117; 

which it participated was that at Lee's Mills, Va., on April; 
16, 1862. Captain Clark was transferred in a short time, being- 
promoted for bravery at Corinth and occupying- a position on 
the staff of General Rosecrans. Thus the command early de- 
volved upon Captain Walker, who through the troublous, 
Virginia campaigns under McClellan, McDowell, Burnsides 
and Meade, led his men until at Rappahannock on November . 
7, 1863 he was struck down by a bullet. The company, how-, 
ever, continued its career until July 1864 when it was mus- 
tered out, its three years of service being at an end. Many of 
the members re-enlisted in other reg^iments while the remaiu- 
der returned home. During- its service. twenty-three men on 
the muster roll were killed outright, ten were reported miss- 
ing- and twenty-seven were seriously wounded. Thus it hap- 
pened that out of the 106 men that left Manitowoc on that 
June evening only 36 returned. Among- these names later well 
known were those of J. S. Anderson, W. Rickaby, F. Stirn, 
J. Mill, J. Gilbert, D. Buboltz, F. W. Borcherdt, J. L. Cox,, 
J. Enert, A. B. Gibson, J, R. f^eykom, G. B. Eng-le and J. H. 
Leonard. 

The first company sent to the war had not left the vil- 
lage before it became evident that the struggle was to be a long 
one and that the nation's resources would be taxed to the ut- 
most. In the early part of May the German residents of the 
villag-e organized the "Home Guards," Frederick Becker be- 
ing chosen captain and Colonel Baetz assisting- in there-? 
cruiting. It was soon announced that the Guards were to 
form a part of the Ninth Wisconsin. This was not, however, 
the only organization for which recruiting was in progress 
during the fall of 1861. In August F. Borcherdt was author- 
ized to raise a company but did not succeed and another at- 
tempt was made a month later by Jere Crowley to get to. 
gether an Irish company, the Meag-her Guards, which was 
similarly unsuccessful. D. A. Shove and G. E. Waldo in the 
meantime had returned from their three months service with: 
the First Wisconsin and plunged actively into the work of- 
enlisting a company for the Fourteenth and soon Colonel K. 
K. Jones commenced similar efforts among the Norwegian; 



118 

residents of the county, intending- to make his command a 
part of the Fifteenth Wisconsin which was being- raised ex- 
clusively among- those of that nationality. Other ag-encies 
were active also. The county board assembled and appropri- 
ated $1,500 for the relief of indigent soldiers^ families while 
in Two Rivers the Ladies Relief Association was formed, the 
officers being: — President, Mrs. Van Valkenburgh; vice 
president, Mrs. Joseph Mann; treasurer, Mrs. J. Burns and 
secretary, Mrs. Alanson Hill. Kindred organizations were 
formed at Manitowoc and Cato. 

Captain Becker's compan}- left the city on October 2nd for 
Milwaukee and Manitowoc was honored in the choice of one 
of its citizens, Frederick Salomon, as colonel of the reg-iment, 
the Ninth, of which the company was a part, it becoming- 
Co. B. Colonel, afterward General Salomon rose higher per- 
haps than any other Manitowoc man and the villag-e always 
delig-hted to honor him. On the day before his departure he 
was presented by the German citizens with a beautiful 
charg-er which he used throughout the war. There were many 
men outside of Co. B from Manitowoc county in the Ninth; 
several from the town of Schleswig- were in Co. Awhile Co. K 
wasmadeup entirely from menfromthat and surrounding town- 
ships under the command of Captain H. F. Belitz and in Co. 
I there were several soldier** from the towns of Newton and 
Manitowoc. The regiment was mustered into service at 
Camp Sigel at Milwaukee October 18th and left for the west 
the succeeding January, being- a part of the Array of the 
Frontier, serving- in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska until 
mustered out in Januarj- 18()6. During- the first 3^ear the of- 
ficers of Co. B were: — Captain, Frederick Becker; first lieu- 
tenant, A. F. Dumke and second lieutenant, Gerbert Guetz- 
loe, of Newton. In May 1862 Captain Becker resigned and re- 
turned home to engage in business, thus causing- changes 
among- his subordinates, Hug-o Koch becoming- second lieu- 
tenant. Captain Belitz resigned his command at about the 
same time while several months later C. H. Schmidt became 
a captain of Co. I of the same reg-imeut. The men in this or- 
ganization althoug-h not in many battles saw much hard ser- 



119 

vice, such as scouting-, g-uardin^ trains, etc. After their g-al- 
lant colonel had been promoted to a g-eneralship in Septem- 
ber 1863 he visited his old home and was g-iven an ovation 
by his townsmen, a public meeting- being- called at which 
many complimentary addresses were made. About twenty-five 
of the Ninth returned to Manitowoc in December 1864 upon 
the expiration of their service but many re-enlisted for the 
two succeeding- years. 

Later in 1861 two more companies left Manitowoc. The 
part played by the men. from the county in the Fourteenth 
reg-iment was a larg-e one. It was Company E of this org-ani- 
zation that was commanded by Georg-e E. Waldo and D. E. 
Shove, who were made captain and first lieutenant respect- 
ively, while Daniel Ramsdell was commissioned as second 
lieutenant. The reg-iment g-athered at Camp Hamilton, Fond 
du Lac, under Colonel Wood and was mustered in January 30, 
1862, leaving- for St. Louis three months later. There were a 
few men from Manitowoc in Co. F also, James La Counte 
acting- as firstlieutenant for the fi st two years of the service. 
The reg-iment after reaching- the south was soon plung-ed in- 
to the baptism of fire. At one of the first battles in which it 
participated, that at Shiloh, the g-allant Captain Waldo was 
struck down, being- broug-ht home a corpse. He was a young- 
man of g-reat popularity, a testimonial of which had been 
presented to him in the shape of a sword before he left the 
villag-e, and the feeling- of loss occasioned by his death was a 
personal one to every resident. Joseph Smith succeeded him 
as captain of Co. E and remained such until the end of the 
war. In the same year B, F. Goodenow became first lieutenant, 
while among- the Manitowoc men to occupy ofi&ces in the reg-i- 
ment were W. F. Eldridg-e, scrg-eant-major; John M. Read, 
serg-eant-major and adjutant-major. Rev. G. B. Eng-le of St. 
James, who in 1864 became chaplain and Dr. S. E. Zeilley, 
who was the surg-eon of the reg-iment. The reg-iment saw sev- 
eral years of hard service, fighting- at Vicksburg-, Champion 
Hills and in many other battles. Their service expired in 
January 1864 but a majority, after enjoying- a furloug-h, re- 
enlisted. The men in Company E returned home in October, 



120 

1865 and their duties done, were soon eng-ag-ed in their vari- 
ous occupations. The Fourteenth formed a regimental asso- 
ciation in 1880 and has held frequent reunions. The other 
company- to leave in 1861 was Co. F of the Fifteenth Wiscon- 
sin, known as the Norwegian reg-iment. The men took their 
departure for the rendezvous at Madison on the 10th of De- 
cember, and K. K. Jones was g-iven a commission as lieuten. 
ant colonel of the regiment, Hans Heg- being- the colonel. An 
interesting- fact in this regard was that Colonel Jones during- 
the war carried the sword that his fa^^er, William Jones, 
one of the promoters of the Manitowoc Land company in 
1835, carried in the war of 1812. Coftipany F was wholly from 
Manitowoc county, being commanded by Captain Charles 
Gustaveson of the town of Rapids, a former soldier in the 
Norwegfian army, while the second lieutenant was also a 
Manitowoc county man, Svend Samuelson of Eaton. The 
reg-iment was mustered in at Camp Randall on Feb. 14, 1862 
and a month later was transferred to St. Louis. It served 
faithfully for three years, being- eng-aged at Sione River, in 
the various battles before Atlanta and remaining in Tennes- 
see until December 1864, when the men were mustered out. A 
few soldiers from the county went into the Sixteenth regi- 
ment and fully half a company in the Nineteenth was also 
made up of Manitowoc men, W. W. Bates, the shipbuilder, 
being- captain of Co. K, serving- ably throughout the Atlanta 
campaign. 

The next full company to be sent forth was Co. K of the 
Twenty-First Wisconsin, the recruiting- for it commencing- in 
the spring of 1862, with headquarters at C. H. Walker's of- 
fice. By this time it was seen that there were sericus difficult- 
ies in the way of subduing the foe and volunteers were not as • 
numerous as in the eaYlier da3^s of the war. A draft was ru- 
mored as the summer dfagg-ed on and Manitowoc county's 
quota was fixed at 8H9 under the call of President Lincoln 
issued in Aug-ust. The draft was then definitel}^ ordered and 
on Aug-ust 15th and 19th meetings were held to secure volun- 
teers in order that the quota mig-ht be met without resorting- 
to such severe measures. Speeches were made by Colonel 



121 

Sweet of the newly authorized Twent^^-First, P. P. Smith, 
Judg-e Taylor and G. N. Woodin. Enthusiasm was hig-h and 
J. E. Piatt offered $50 and forty acres of land to the first re- 
cruit. Michael McGuire, a clerk, secured the prize but relin- 
quished it to a second, who in turn g-ave it to a third. Thus 
the company was filled with sturdy young" men, leaving- seven 
days later on the steamer Comet. In the meantime the draft 
had been postponed although Joseph Vilas had been chosen 
commissioner of the count}' to supervise the drawing- while 
Dr. A. Schenke was appointed examining" surgeon. Company 
K was of&cered as follows: — Captain, C. H. Walker; first 
lieutenant, Wyman Murphy; second lieutenant, Joseph La 
Counte and it was mustered in at Oshkosh on Sept. 5, 1862. 
Five days later, under command of Colonel Sweet, the regi- 
ment left for the south and within a month it had partici- 
pated in its first battle, that of Perryville. Here Colonel 
Sweet was wounded and Colonel Harrison C. Hobart suc- 
ceeded him. After Perryville the regfiment went south and 
participated in the Atlanta campaigfn, in the march to the 
sea and in further arduous service, being mustered out on 
June 17, 1865. Among" the officers which the county fur- 
nished the reg"iment were Quartermasters H. C. Hamilton 
and B. J. Van Valkenburgh, Quartermaster-Serg"eant G. T. 
Burns and Lieut. F. W. Borcherdt of Company D. Mr. Ham- 
ilton died of typhoid fever in April 1863 and his body was 
broug-ht home to Two Rivers and buried with military hon- 
ors. He was thirty-six years old and had always been prom- 
inent in the village of his abode, having" served in the county 
board, the assembly and as first president of the village. 
Captain Walker was promoted to the position of major in 
1864 and was succeeded as captain by Lieut. La Counte. The 
Twenty-First reg"iment, org-anized as an association in 1868, 
being" one of the first to do so but no reg"ular reunions were 
held until beginning- with 1887. Among" the officers of the 
association hailing from Manitowoc have been J. F. Reardon 
and F. C. Ostenfeldt and in June 1896 the reunion was held 
in the city, a program of much interest being" carried out. 

Puring the summer of 1862 Messrs. Pizzala and Baet^ 



122 

were also busy recruiting* at Manitowoc for the Twenty- 
Sixth, otherwise known as the Sig^el Regiment, headquarters 
being- stationed at Klingholz Hall. Company F was raised in 
the county and was officered as follows: — Captain, Henry 
Baetz; lirstlieutenant, Charles Pizzala; second lieutenant, A. 
Waller, of Milwaukee. Captain Baetz was later promoted to 
the position of major and after a period of faithful servMce 
the second commander, Capt. Pizzala was killed in May 1863. 
The regfiment was mustered in at Milwaukee in September 
1862 and saw much service, fighting- at Gettysburg-, Mission 
Ridg-e, Resaca, Atlanta and participating in the march to 
the sea. It was mustered out in June 1865. Among- the other 
Manitowoc men serving- as officers of this org-anization were 
W. H. Hempschemeyer, who became captain of Co. I, and 
Lieutenant N. Wollmer, who was killed before Atlanta, his 
burial occurring- at Manitowoc on Aug-ust 30, 1864. The fun- 
eral was a military one since many soldiers were home on a 
furloug-h, including- General Salomon, Colonel Olmstead, 
Major Baetz, Captains Goodwin, Rankin and Dumke and 
Lieutenants Murphy, Wimpfand Markham, all of whom acted 
as an escort. Mr. Wollmer was an early settler and was en- 
g-ag-ed m the banking- business before the war. 

Recruiting- went on for the Twenty-Seventh as well as 
for the Twenty-Sixth in the summer of 1862. Manitowoc 
county responded nobly, furnishing- all of the members of Co. 
K and half of Co. D. The recruiting was under the supervi- 
sion of T. G. Olmstead, who became lieutenant-colonel of the 
regiment, Joseph Rankin, who was commissioned captain of 
Co. D and Peter Mulholland, who later became captain of Co. 
K but who at first was a first lieutenant in the other com- 
pan3^ The men left the villag^e on Sept. 18, 1862, Captain 
Rankin being- presented with a sword by his fellow citizens 
on the occasion of the departure. The regiment was mustered 
in at Camp Sig-el in March of the next year and under Colonel 
Krez participated in the Vicksburg- campaign, later being- 
active in Arkansas and finally being- mustered out in Septem- 
ber 1865, the survivors arriving- in Manitowoc on the 28th of 
that month. Among- the men from the county who served as 




WILLIAM BACH 



123 



officers in this regiment were Surg-eons Saltzmann and 
Hutchinson, Lieutenants T. McMillan, N. Hanson and M. 
McGuire. During- 1864 considerable recruiting- was done for 
the Twenty-Seventh in ihe county and on October 27th of 
that year a number of new men were sent to the front to join 
that organization. The Thirty-Second Wisconsin was organ- 
ized at about the same time as the last mentioned regiment, 
being mustred in on September 25, 1862. It drew about one- 
half of one company, G, from Manitowoc, among the officers 
being Lieuts. Oscar B. Smith and H. H. Markham. The regi- 
ment saw hard service with General Sherman around Atlanta 
and then remained in Mississippi until mustered out in June 
1864. This was the last regular organization to which the 
county made contribution of her sons for some months. 

The first draft, as was said before, had been postponed 
owing to inaccuracies and general unpreparedness. The 
return as made by Commissioner Vilas in September 1862 was 
as follows: — 



Town 
Franklin 


Enrolled 
160 


Exempt 
108 


Subject to Draft 

52 


Two Creeks 


36 


8 


28 


Rapids 


200 


77 


120 


Manitowoc 


526 


298 


228 


Meeme 


167 


34 


loo 


Schleswig 


147 


6 


141 


Centerville 


167 


24 


143 


Newton 


218 


92 


126 


Maple Grove 


113 


46 


67 


Two Rivers 


351 


132 


219 


Kossuth 


250 


86 


164 


Mishicott 


187 


30 


157 


Cooperstown 

Rockland 

Cato 

Gibson 

Liberty 

Eaton 


195 
88 
158 
160 
214 
131 


55 
20 
46 
21 

72 
14 


140 
68 
112 
139 
142 
117 



Totals 3471 

Total to be drafted 



1169 



2302 



397. 



124 

The town of Manitowoc had filled its quota so it became un- 
necessary to consider that in the estimates. A volunteer fund 
of $1613 had been raised early in the year and this was used 
to buy the services of substitutes. After a final examination 
held in December on Januarj^ 2, 1863 the draft was carried out 
at the Court House under the direction of Capt. Weischner, 
U. S.'A. The result was not satisfactory as many drawn 
were exempt and only about one hundred and twenty re- 
cruits were in reality secured and of these many failed to re- 
port. One hundred of the men drafted resolved to test the 
legfality of the action, it being- doubted by lawyers of ability, 
and Attorneys Nichols, Pierpont, Reed, Woodin and Bach 
were retained by them. These gentlemen secured the able 
assistance of E. G. Ryan, later chief justice and the case came 
before the supreme court in the Januar)- term under habeas 
corpus proceeding's, the claim being- made that the draft was 
void as outside any leg-al authority. The court, however, 
sustained the United States and decided the draft to be 
proper. The case is known as In Re Greiner and is found in 
the 16th Wisconsin at pag^e 423. 

Hardly had the excitement aroused by the first draft passed 
awa}' when a second one was ordered. Citizens of Manitowoc 
met on July 21st and formed a draft club, of which Joseph 
Vilas was chosen president and treasurer and H. F. Hubbard 
secretary. Each member paid in fiftj dollars, and received 
$300 if drafted, with which he mig-ht purchase a substitute, 
if he so desired. This second draft took place at Green Bay 
on November 23rd and was attended by the Manitowoc County 
Board. The county's quota was 388 men, not all of which 
was raised however, althougfh under J. F. Guyles, who had 
been chosen provost marshal of the county, an efficient 
police system was org-anized. This having passed, another 
draft was announced to take place at Green Bay on Jan. 25th. 
At its December session the county board by resolution in- 
structed J. Pellet. J. Care}^ and A. Wittmann to represent 
Manitowoc interests at the the proceeding- and these gentle- 
men accordingly attended. The quota of the county at this 
draft was 232 men, which also was not even approximately 



12B 

reached. In the meantime the practice of raising- bounty 
funds increased. The town of Manitowoc voted $100 per re- 
cruit on Feb. 1 1864, while at about the same time Two 
Rivers raised $5000 for the same purpose, Mishicott $3000, 
while Manitowoc Rapids offered $125 and Cato $100 per re- 
cruit. These grants were later leg-alized by the state leg"is- 
lature. In Aug-ust 1864 the quota for the next draft, which 
was announced for thenext month, was published as follows: 
—Two Creeks 13, Cooperstown 53, Maple Grove 34, Kossuth 
60, Mishicot 34, Gibson 38, Franklin 36, Two Rivers 54, Man- 
itowoc 61, Rockland 18, Centerville33, Meeme 39, Schleswig 
12, Eaton 32, Newton 34, Cato 25, Liberty 48 and Rapids 45. 
Excitement was intense and at an election held in Manitowco 
on the 26th a proposition to vote a villagfe bounty of $200 per 
recruit was defeated by 93 majority. Superhuman efforts 
were made, however, both there and at Two Rivers so that 
before the 28th of September, the date of the draft, the quotas 
of these towns were filled. In the former place this result 
was accomplished largely b}' a second draft club, which was 
formed with G. N. Woodin as president and A. Wittmann as 
secretary, each member being- required to pay in twenty dol- 
lars. In the rest of the county the draft bore most lieavil3\ 
there- being no means of obviating- its hardships. Feeling- 
ran so hig-h in Two Creeks that a recruiting- officer barely es- 
caped being- mobbed. The draft took place at Green Bay as 
usual and there were present A. Wittmann imd the county 
board. The drawing- did not fill the quota and a supplement- 
ary draft took place on December 22nd for all towns except 
Manitowoc, Two Rivers and Centerville, which had furnished 
the required numl)er. By this time the list of those not ex- 
empt had been exhausted in Eaton and Franklin and the same 
condition was rapidly approaching- in the other towns, only 
two or three dozen eligible men remaining- in each. Then 
followed the announcement of what proved to be the final 
draft. The town of Manitowoc upon hearing- the news voted 
at a special election held January 2, 1865 the sum of $12,- 
000 as bounty money, paying- S300 per recruit, one of the 
largest local bounties in the state. The bounty club was also 



126 

reorg"anized. In February a mass meeting- was held to raise 
still more money and Joseph Vilas, J. D. Markham, T. C. 
Shove, S. A. Wood and K. K. Rand succeeded in doing- so, 
earning the gratitude of their fellow citizens. The first 
named was presented with a valuable tobacco box by his ad- 
mirers after the war closed in appreciation of the services 
rendered during these troublous times. 

The quota for the last draft was finally announced as fol- 
lows: — Manitowoc 59, Rapids 35, Meeme 11, Cato 20, Rock- 
land 15, Centreville 25, Liberty 24, Newton 10, Schleswig 12, 
Two Creeks 4, Mishicot 8, Gibson 28, Cooperstown 37, Maple 
Grove 10, Kossuth 6 and Two Rivers 54, that of Franklin 
and Eaton having already been exhausted. The war, how- 
ever, came to a close before it was necessary to rendezvous 
those drawn and in April 1865 Captain F. feorcherdt, then 
marshal of the county, received orders to arrest no more de- 
serters. 

During the last two years of the war there were organ- 
ized several companies in the county that took the field for 
their country. In 1864 recruiting went on actively for the 
Forty-Fifth regiment of which in October Henry F. Belitz 
of Kiel was chosen colonel. Company B came largely from 
the towns of Centerville and Newton, being commanded by 
Capt. Jacob Leiser, while many were in Co. D also. Among 
the other Manitowoc county men acting as officers in the 
regiment were Captains C. H. Schmidt of Co. E, Reinhard 
Schlichting of Co. A, Bernard Schlichting of Co. C and 
Lieuts. C. Kerten of Co. C, Charles White of Co. D and Peter 
Ruppenthal of Co. A. The regiment was sent to Nashville 
in the fall and was disbanded in July 1865. In February of 
the latter year the Forty-Eigbth regiment rendezvoused at 
Milwaukee, in it being Co. D, Captain A. Wittmann, con- 
taining men from Two Rivers and other parts of the county. 
The regiment was dispatched to Kansas and served in garri- 
son and scout duties until February 1866, when it was mus- 
tered out. A few recruits from the county were also enlisted 
in the Fifty-Second regiment. Captain S. W. Smith com- 
manding Co. D. This regiment got as far as St. Louis but 
was there returned and soon after disbanded. 





MANITOWOC RIVER ABOVE BEND 1896 



127 

Thus was the bloody struo^g^le broug^ht to a close. Man- 
itowoc county had furnished nine full companies and parts of 
three others, about twelve hundred men in all besides those 
who enlisted independently in various org-anizations or as en- 
g-ineers, cavalr3'men or artillerymen. All throug-h 1865 and 
even in the spring of the next year the blue-coated veterans 
came strag-gling home and warm was their welcome. A fes- 
tival had taken place in the Windiate House in February 1864 
in honor of the return of the three year men and similar func- 
tions followed in 1865, among them a grand reunion given by 
the Ladies Soldiers' Aid society held in February, one half 
of the proceeds of which went for the support of indigent 
soldiers' families and the other half to the State Soldiers' 
Home. A similar affair was held at Two Rivers a month or 
so later, five hundred dollars being realized. In fact the 
work of the women, who strove to be of service at home, was 
as heroic as that of the men in the livid. During the war 
twenty-two large boxes of supplies were forwarded by the 
Manitowoc Ladies society and five by the organization in 
Two Rivers. 

Then came the sad and sudden death of Lincoln. Meet- 
ing's of the returned soldiery were held immediately for the 
arrangement of a fitting commemoration of his life and on 
April 29th one of the most imposing ceremonies that the vil- 
lage ever witnessed took place. A procession one mile long" 
was formed m the following order, marching through the main 
streets: — I. Manitowoc Brass band; II. Committees; III. Com- 
pany of returned soldiers under Captain Goodwin; IV. Hearse 
and Urn; V. Village officials; VI. Masons; VII. Odd Fellows; 
VIII. Sons of Herman; IX. Good Templars; X. Torrent En- 
g-ine Company, No. 1, Hook and Ladder Company, Bucket Co. ; 
XL School children and ladies. At Union Park Reverend 
Smith delivered a funeral oration and the assemblage then 
broke up. Thus did Manitowoc honor the memory of the 
immortal president. Soon after the draft club made its final 
report, the total receipts since its formation having been 
$16,558, of which a balance of $2038 remained in the treasury. 
It was first proposed to put this money in the harbor fund but 



128 

it wa^ later decided to divide it pro rata among the metubei"- 
sTiip. Naturally the returned soldiers kept up the associa- 
tions that had so long- held thera tog"ether, the result being" 
the formation in Manitowoc of a post in July 1868. C. H. 
Walker was chosen commander, W. I. Gilbert senior vice 
commander, John M. Read post adjutant and A. J. Patchen 
quartermaster. This organization, however, dissolved in 
the course of time and it was not until April 22, 1881, that 
Horace M. Walker Post No. 18 of the Wisconsin G. A. R. 
was formed. Since that time it has led an active existence 
with a larg-e membership and g-ood equipment. Among- the 
post commanders have been J. S. Anderson, E. R. Smith, 
Frank Stirn, Richard McGuire, F. Ostenfeldt, H. Hentscher, 
C. E. Spindler, J. F. Reardon, H. Schmidt and J. D. Schuet- 
te. Gen. Lytle Post No. 190 was formed at Kiel on Dec. 27, 
1884 and Joseph Rankin Post No. 129 at Two Rivers June 16 
1886. The commanders of the former have been P. Mattes, 
F. Krieg-er, P. Jerg-enheimer, L. Gutheil, C. Beck and C 
Peschke;*those of the latter W. F. Nash, W. Henry, W. 
Wagner and Louis Hartung-. Several local members have 
held important positions in the state organization. 

Naturally military affairs after the war were given little 
attention for some time. In the summer of 1868, however, the 
Manitowoc Volunteer Militia company was formed with over 
sixty members. On August 9th Frederick Becker was chosen 
captain, W. H. Hempschemeyer first lieutenant and Henry 
Schweitzer second lieutenant. It was made part of the state 
militia as Company A Second regiment, remaining so desig- 
nated until 1894, when it became an independent organiza- 
tion., The twenty-fifth anniversary of the company was cele- 
brated with great festivities on July 10, 1893, speeches and 
parades making up the program. The captains of the com- 
pany from its formation were F. Becker, A. C. Becker, Emil 
Schmidt and Henry Schweitzer. Reorganization took place in 
the nineties and many of the company went into the new 
Rahr Guards, of which Captain Joseph Willinger has been 
for some time the commander. An independent company was 
formed in the seventies among the Polish residents of North- 



129 

eim, being- known as the Pulaski Guards, that formed a bril- 
liant feature on several public occasions but they disbanded 
after a short existence. On December 29, 1881 a new com- 
pany was organized at Manitowoc under the name of the 
Rankin Guards. The first officers were: — Captain W. H. 
Hempschemeyer, first lieutenant, Ole Benson; second lieuten- 
ant, Emil Baensch. The company soon became incorporated 
into the state militia as Company H, Second reg-iment, and 
the rivalry between the two organizations in the city was a 
healthy one. An event of interest was the encampment at 
the County Fair Grounds in Aug-ust 1886 of the members of 
the Second Reg-iment, ten companies being- present. Captain 
Hempschemeyer was succeeded in command of Company H 
by Emil Baensch, he by William Kunz and he by William F- 
Brandt, In the nineties William Abel was chosen captain and 
remained such during- the Spanish-American war. That 
strug-g-le, suddenly thrust upon the nation for the sake of hu- 
manity, called forth a burst of patriotism among- young- and 
old. Manitowoc was not behind other communities in this re- 
spect and the company of soldiers already in existence in the 
city was recruited and frequently drilled as the war clouds 
g-rew thicker. Finally late in April came the orders to mob- 
ilize the state troops at Camp Harvey, Milwaukee, and on 
the 28th Company H left the city amidst demonstrations of 
patriotism almost unprecedented. Mustered in at Milwaukee, 
one hundred and nine strong- on May 5th the troops were 
transported to Chickamaug-a Park, where they remained a 
month, later being- transferred to Charleston, S. C. Here 
Captain Abel became seriously ill and command devolved 
larg-ely upon Lieuts. Knudson and Stahl. The company, em- 
barking- on the transport Grand Duchess, arrived in Ponce, 
Porto Rico July 28 and spent a month and a half in arduous 
service on that isle. Peace, however, was soon at hand and 
the Manitowoc g-uardsmen were with the remainder of the 
reg-iment returned, to the United States, reaching- Milwaukee 
September 17th. The next morning- they were the recipients 
of an ovation on the part of their fellow citizens, being- ten- 
dered a banquet at the Turner Hall and participating- in a 



130! 

a leng"thy parade. All but four of the company returned, Her- 
bert Coville, F. C. Schwalbe, F. Kngel and William Hein . 
g-iving- up their lives for their country. The progress of the 
war was watched with great interest by the residents of the 
county and its happy termination hailed with joy. Many 
young men from the county served in various organizations * 
aside from Company H throughout the struggle and later 
several were with the troops in the Philippines, fighting the 
insurgents. The Spanish-American War veterans formed 
Camp Henry W. Lawton on Feb. 10, 1900, with a membership 
of forty, the officers being: — Commander, Ernst Heide; vice 
commanders, M. Jergenson and C. Richards; adjutant, J. C. 
Jirikowic: quartermaster, Wm. Abel; chaplain, H. C. Berndt- 
officer of the day, H. Woerfel; officer of the guard, C. Schu- 
macher. The first reunion of the camps of the northeastern 
part of the state occurred at Manitowoc in July of the follow- 
ing- year. In the spring of 1900 a military company, the 
Twin City Rifles, was organized at Two Rivers, making its 
first public appearance on Memorial day. 

Linked inseparably with military heroism is patriotism 
and it is well that certain days such as the Fourth of July 
and Memorial day have been set aside for the proper com- 
memoration of the past. These have been observed regular- 
ly in the county, the Fourth particularly, from the earliest 
days. The manner in which- that holiday has been cele- 
brated as the years have passed is most interesting. In ante- 
bellum days speeches, banquets, balls and parades were the 
order of the hour. The feature of the Fourth in 1854 was 
an excursion to Two Rivers, while two years later a grand 
celebration was held at Clarks Mills, Judge Lee delivering 
an address. The prog-ram in 1859 was the first elaborate one 
g-iven in the county. It opened with a federal salute and at 
noon a procession was formed which, marshalled by W. H. 
McDonald, I. P. Smith, G. S. Glover, J. P. Barnes and A. L. 
Pierce, moved to Union Park. In line were the fire compan- 
ies, the agricultural societies, school children and citizens 
and when the park was reached a bounteous banquet was 
spread by the ladies of the Social Circle. The toasts re- 



131 

sponded to were varied and instructive, being- as follows: — 
"Ladies of Manitowoc," "The Day We Celebrate," "The 
Teachers of Our Villag-e." "Our National Anniversary," 
"Italy," "Ladies Social Circle," "Manitowoc and Mississip- 
pi Railroad," "The Press and the Union" and "Written on a 
Shingle -Manitowoc Currency, May it Never Fail." Cele- 
brations were usually held at Union Park during- this early 
period, althoug-h later Washington Park was the scene of 
festivities. In 1861 on account of the war feeling was high 
and at a celebration at Cato an aged resident was hissed from 
the platform for supposed Secession utterances. Because of 
the close of the war an outburst of enthusiasm took place on 
the Fourth in 1865 and Manitowoc was no exception to the 
rule. The county board appropriated S300 and with this 
sum a banquet was tendered the returned veterans. The 
feast was held at the National Hotel and was presided over by 
Joseph Vilas, toasts being responded to as follows: — "The 
President," C. E. Esslinger; "Memory of Lincoln," J. D, 
Markham; "Officers and Soldiers," C. H. Walker; "The Day 
We Celebrate," H. Sibree; "The County Board," Jason Pel- 
lett; "Memory of the Fallen." G. N. Woodin; "The Press," 
C. H. Schmidt; "The Clergy," Rev. L. N. Freeman and 
"The Bar," E. B. Treat. At Two Rivers a magnificent lib- 
erty pole was raised and a lengthy parade formed, after 
which Rev. Herman Bartels delivered an oration. In the 
years succeeding parades were an annual feature and among 
the orators were Rev. W. J. Stoutenburgh, J. B. Sherwood, 
B. R. Anderson, C. E. Esslinger, A. Wittmann and R. D. 
Smart. In 1872 the new railway was utilized and an excur- 
sion to Kaukauna successfully enjoyed. Then came the 
elaborate celebration of the Centennial Fourth. A monster 
parade in three divisions was the feature of the day, John 
Bibinger, G. F, Barker and P. J. Pierce acting as marshals. 
In Una were two veterans of the War of 1812, B. Jones and 
F. C. Kapple, the Pulaski Guards of Northeim, numerous 
symbolic floats, fraternal organizations and the fire depart= 
raents. Exercises were held in Union Park, C. Esslinger 
acting as orator of the day and Reverend C. B. Stevens as 



132 

chaplain. In the evening- a public display of fireworks wit- 
nessed by hundreds crowned the g-lorious da3\ Two Rivers 
also commemorated the occasion fittingly. During- the suc- 
ceeding- few years the celebrations were very quiet and each 
community in the county held its own instead of centralizing- 
at the county seat. In 1883 the celebration at Manitowoc as- 
sumed considerable magnitude and again in 18^U, in the lat- 
ter year the city entertaining- many visitors from neighoor- 
ing- towns, a mag-nificent parade and a $1300 display of fire- 
works being- features. Exercises were held in Washing-ton 
park and Judge Emil Baensch delivered the oration. Since 
that year, however, no g-reat effort has been made to cele- 
brate the day in a public manner. 

Memorial day has also, since its institution, been ob- 
served with proper ceremonies in the county. In Manitowoc 
after 1883 the practice arose of securing outside orators of re- 
pute to address the citizens and among- the number who have 
done so have been General F. C. Winckler, Colonel Watrous, 
Senator Spooner, Senator Quarles, Congressman Esch, Eu- 
g-ene S. Elliott, President S. Plantz of Lawrence University, 
Reverend Walter E. Cole, Reverend G. W. Ide and Reverend 
Fraser. Along- the line of patriotic movements should be 
noticed the imposing- statue placed in 1900 in the public 
square at Two Rivers in honor of the soldier dead. 



CHAPTER IX. 



POLITICS. 

When the territory of Michig-an was org-anized it in- 
cluded what is now the state of Wisconsin. In the thirties 
this latter section of the western country was divided into 
counties and the whole northeastern part was known as 
Brown county, what is now Manitowoc being- embraced with- 
in its confines. On December 7 183^, however, soon after 
Wisconsin became a separate territory Manitowoc county was 
constituted, althoug-h not at first including- the present towns 
of Gibson, Cooperstown, Two Creeks or township 21 of the 
township of Mishicot, this territory remaining- as part of the 
orig^inal county of Brown until February 1850, when it was 
annexed. The county seat of Manitowoc was fixed at Man- 
itowoc Rapids but no definite county g-overnment was estab- 
lished until two years later. In January 1838 an act was 
passed to the effect "that the county, contained within the 
boundary lines of Manitowoc County be and hereby is set off 
as a separate town by the name of Conroe and the polls of 
election shall be opened at Conroe's Mills." Finally in De- 
cember the counties of Manitowoc and Sheboyg^an were or- 
ganized by the leg-islature "for all purposes of county g-ov- 
ernment," the first election for town and county oflficers being- 
fixed to take place on the first Monday in March, 1839 and it 
was further provided that the county commissioners of 
Brown county were to canvass the vote and issue certificates 
of election. It remained dependent on the latter county jud- 
icially, however, until 1848. Thus Manitowoc became a po- 



134 

litical unit, enabling- a study of its political complexity as the 
varying- local, state and national issues evolved and disap- 
peared. And first as to its attitude on national questions 
from the time of its org-anization until the present day. 

NATIONAL POLITICS. 

At the outset it should be noted that Manitowoc county 
as a whole has always under normal conditions been a Demo- 
cratic stronghold. The majority of that part}' has not been 
so great as to make changes in political complexion impossi- 
ble when particular issues came to the front but the above 
statement is borne out by a careful investig-ation of the votes 
for presidential and cong-ressional candidates. The first op- 
portunity for a division on national questions was that of- 
fered by the election of a delegate to congress from Wiscon- 
sin Territory' in 183^. Forty votes were cast in the county, of 
which J. B. Doty, the Democratic candidate, received twenty- 
nine, while Bennett, the chief opponent, received but nine. 
In 1841 a deleg-ate was again to be chosen; the total vote was 
increased by six, Henry Dodge, the Democratic candidate 
receiving- twenty-seven as compared with nineteen for J. E. 
Arnold, the representative of the Whig-s. In 1843 Dodge 
ag-ain carried the county receiving twenty-nine votes as 
against three for the Whig- candidate, W. Hickok. M. L. 
Martin, also a Democrat, in 1845 received forty majority and 
in 1847 M. W. Strong-, Democrat, received sixty-seven votes 
to sixty-four received by J. H. Tweedy, Whig-, showing- a 
closer division than had existed theretofore. In fact from 
1846 to 1852, by which time ma.nj German Democrats had 
immig-rated to the county, the balance between the Democrats 
and Whig-s was about even. A year after .this last vote for 
delegate Wisconsin became a state and Manitowoc was placed 
in the Ihird Congressional disli ict. The presidential elec- 
tion then came on, the first in which Wisconsin voles cuuld 
be cast and that Manitowoc was relied on for a Democratic 
majority is evinced by the following- from the Green Bay Ad- 
vocate: "Well, as what is wanted is to carr}- the state for 
Cass and Butler if the 'old North county' can't bring- it up 



135 

we will call in the aid of our sisters, Manitowoc and Calumet 
— and if all these don't do we will finally give up all claims." 
The result in the county was as follows: — Cass, Democrat, 
159; Taylor, Whig-, 77; Van Buren, Free Soil, 30; while the 
congressional vote was. Doty, Dem., 169; Howe, Whig-, 67; 
Judd, Free Soil, 30. Two years later Mr. Doty ran for con- 
gress again, receiving 420 votes, while 165 went to Harrison 
C. Hobart, the independent candidate, thus showing a great 
increase in the Democratic vote, despite a disaffection led 
against Mr. Dot}^ by George T^eed and others. 

The presidential election of 1852 then approached. 
Pierce and King the regular Democratic nominees received a 
majority of over five hundred above all others, the vote being 
as follows: Pierce, 874; Scott, Whig, 209; Hale, Free Soil, 
9. The congressional fight resulted similarly, James B. 
Macy, Democrat, receiving 843 votes and J. M. Shaffer, 
Whig, 243. In 1854, however, the Democrats of Wisconsin 
suffered a schism and as a result in the Third district two 
candidates were placed in the field. Turner the straight and 
Macy the bolting nominee, while Charles Billingshurst re- 
ceived the united support of the then new Republican party. 
The result was a victory for the last named all along the line, 
the vote in the county being: Billingshurst 750, Turner, 374, 
Macy 125. This defection from, the Democratic ranks was 
due largely to the question of free soil in Kansas and Neb- 
raska and '.-v^as not of a continuous character for in 1856 the 
Democrats appeared stronger than ever. In the meantime 
the county had greatly increased in population and the presi- 
dential campaign took on almost modern form. In August a 
Republican rally was arranged for in order to make a dem- 
onstration against slaver}' extension, the call being signed by 
C. Roeser, C. Esslinger, J. Bennett, |N. Preston and others, 
several of whom had formerly been Democrats. An organiza- 
tion was formed with P. P. Smith as president and J. Ben- 
nett as treasurer and a similar movement headed by R. 
Klingholz and H. Baetz took place among the German Re- 
publicans, while other clubs were formed at Rapids and Two 
Rivers, A. C Pierce and H. Billings being presidents of tne 



136 

respective orgfanizations. The Democrats were equally act- 
ive and the result was that in Manitowoc two monster dem- 
onstrations were held by the two parties on October 11th. 
People from the rural districts came in with ox teams and a 
hickory pole was raised with g-reat acclaim by the Democrats, 
a Buchanan flag- being- hoisted upon it. A parade was then 
formed, led by the Sheboygan and Schmitz bands and con- 
taining- fully fifty wagons full of voters and their families, 
who proceeded to the Franklin House, where from the bal- 
cony Colonel E. Fox Cooke of Sheboyg-an addressed them up- 
on the issues of the day. The Republican demonstration was 
led by Colonel K. K. Jones, one of the features of the parade 
being- thirty-two ladies on horseback while many of the 
sterner sex rode in the rear decked out in all the finery of 
feathers and plumes. Finally the campaig-n came to an end, 
Buchanan carrying- the count}-, his vote being 1907 to Fre- 
mont's 1177, Hobart's majority over Billingshurst being about 
the same for congress. Mr. Billiiig-shurst carried the district 
however, and was returned to Washington, where he contin- 
ued to represent his constituents ably. In 1858 Manitowoc 
county came forward with its first candidate for cong-ression- 
al honors, William Aldrich of Two Rivers being- prominently 
before the Republican convention of the district, but he re- 
ceived but six votes for the honor. Representative Billing-s- 
hurst was renominated and Charles Larrabee chosen by the 
Democrats to be their standard bearer. Both candidates 
stumped the county but Billing-shurst was defeated, his vote 
being- 1086 and that of his opponent 1598, Larabee also 
carrying- the district by a heavy majority. 

And then came the thrilling- and momentous campaig-n 
of 1860. When the news of Doug-las' nomination by the 
northern wing- of the Democrac}' reached Manitowoc on June 
24th g-reat rejoicing- occurred among- the Manitowoc Demo- 
crats, among- whom were many who considered ''the Little 
Giant" the greatest statesman of the age. A flagraising-, 
bonfire, parade and ball were a few of the varied modes of 
welcome which the information received, prominent among- 
the participants being- E. K. Rand, C. C, Barnes. T. Robin- 



137 

son, W. D. Hitchcock, H. Berners, A. Wittman, Temple 
Clark and ethers. The fact that at the time Lincoln was not 
as widely known somewhat dampened the enthusiasm of the 
Republicans until later in the campaig^n, when the candidate 
began to prove his worth. The Democrats were, however, 
not united since several of the prominent leaders supported 
the Breckenridg-e ticket, put up by the southern wing- of the 
party. Chief among- them were H. S. Pierpont and C. 
Kuehn of Two Rivers, C. W. Fitch, editor of the Herald and 
C. A. Reuter of Manitowoc. In choosing- delegates to the 
congressional convention a compromise was effected whereby 
Mr. Pierpont, a Breckenridg-e and Joseph Vilas, a Douglas 
Democrat were chosen. The split was injected into count)' 
politics as well and as the ye^r advanced the chances of 
Democratic victory decreased proportionately. However or- 
g-anization was perfected on both sides and the strug-gle went 
on unabated. As early as July the German Republicans or- 
ganized a club with H. Baetz as president, followed by the 
Scandinavian Republicans, who chose Jacob Halverson as 
their leader, the Two Rivers Republican club and finally the 
Wide Awakes, a Republican org-anization formed in Manito- 
woc, whose distinctive insig-nia, oilcloth caps and helmets, 
made them conspicuous in all public demonstrations. A. Scott 
Sloan and Judge Larrabee, the candidates of the Republican and 
Democraticticketsfor congress canvassed the county thorough- 
ly. At Two Rivers a parade was formed by the supporters of the 
former, attended by thirty farmers from Cooperstown carry- 
ing "a rail symbolizing allegiance to Lincoln" and in which 
many "hard fisted factory operatives" as they were flatter- 
ingly called participated. Democratic clubs were also active 
and thus the campaign progressed with parades, speeches 
and illuminations. Finally the eventful November day ar- 
rived and Manitowoc registered its vote against slavery in no 
uncertain manner, breaking over accustomed party lines so to 
do. Lincoln received 2041 votes, Douglas 1947 and Brecken- 
ridge a meager 9, while for congress Sloan received 2078 and 
Larrabee 1948. The vote clearly showed that what Brecken- 
ridge sentiment there had been in the county earlier in the 



438 

3'ear had been dissipated by the threats of secession. The 
Republicans celebrated the victory by an enthusiastic dem- 
onstration on November 17, in which a parade headed by 
Marshal Robert Blake was a feature. The war then broke 
out and men's minds necessarily turned from mere politics, all 
supporting the g-overnment in its struggle for existence. 
The Republicans, however, 'id not retain their control of the 
county, a fact shown by the election of 1862, in which Wheel- 
er, the Democratic candidate for congress, received 795 ma- 
jority over Browne, his Republican opponent The county 
was now in the Fifth district together wnth Calumet, Winne- 
bago, Green Lake, Marquette, Waupaca, Outagamie, Brown, 
Kewaunee, Door, Oconto and Shawano counties. Both H. S. 
Pierpont and George Reed 'were mentioned as possibilities 
for congressional honors in the Democratic district conven- 
tion of that year, which was presided over by the former. 

Opposition to Lincoln grew steadily owing to the length 
of the war and the campaign of 1864 was in reality started a 
year earlier. In February 1863 a Democratic club was or- 
ganized at the Courthouse, with the protection of the consti- 
tution as its aim and "Conciliation and Peace" as its motto. 
Among the promoters were F. Becker, W. Bach, J. Crowley, 
A. Bleser, W. M. Nichols, J. C. Eggers, G. S. Glover. P. J. 
Blesch, M. Kuhl, R. O'Connor, A. Wittmann and George 
Reed, the last named being elected president. Similar clubs 
were organized throughout the county also. The movement 
was met by the Republicans in March in the formation of 
the Union club, which met at Klingholz Hall weekly, among 
the members being S. A. Wood, J. F. Guyles, Oscar Koch, 
P. P. Smith, S. W. Smith, Rev. Mead Holmes and O. H. 
Carpenter. Many Manitowoc Democrats attended the Na- 
tional convention of their party held in Chicago in August 
1864, which nominated General McClellan for the presidency. 
The campaign which followed was a hotly contested one, al- 
though party lines were changed considerably as a result of 
the war and the issues arising therefrom. Joseph Vilas was 
put forward by the local Democrats for the congressional 
nomination but received only fourteen votes in the conventioi; 



139 

against twenty-nine for Gabriel Bouck of Oshkosh. The 
result of the election was a landslide for the Democrats, the 
home vote being- 2248 for McCLdlan and 1179 for Lincoln, 
the vote of the soldiers in the field somewhat reducing the 
former's majority. Colonel Bouck secured a similar lead over 
Philetus Sawyer in the county, although the latter carried 
the district. By 1866 due partially to the latter's interest 
in Manitowoc harbor improvements the Republican vote in- 
creased to 1737, Martin, the Democratic candidate receiving 
1891 votes. 

The campaign of 1868 was a closely contested one in 
Manitowoc. Seymour and Blair clubs divided honors as to 
enthusiasm with Grant and Wilson organizations and several 
prominent speakers, including Gov. Fairchild and George B. 
Smith visited the county. At the congressional convention 
Joseph Vilas was nominated on the first ballot and he car- 
ried on the fight with great vigor against Philetus Sawyer, 
whom the Republicans had renominated. The vote' for pres- 
ident was very close, Seymo.ur receiving 7640 votes and Grant 
2605, For congress, how.ever, Mr. Vilas ran greatly al;ead 
of hi« ticket, receiving 3204 votes as against 2043 for Sawyer 
and also carrying Calumet, Kewaunee, Marquette and Outa- 
gamie counties. He was, however, defeated in the district 
as a whole, his total vote being 12431 against Sawyer's 16816. 
In 1870 another change took place and Sawyer, popular in 
the county on account of his championship of the harbor, re- 
ceived 3000 votes, a majoritv of 1473 over Stringham, his 
Democratic opponent. By 1872, however, the Democrats had' 
resumed their control of the situation and were able to put up 
a strong and winning fight for Greeley. Another Manito- 
woc man was in the congressional fight this time in the per- 
son of Henry Baetz, who was the Republican nominee. 
Manitowoc by the new apportionment was still in the Fifth 
district, which now included the counties of Dodge, Fond dvi 
Lac, Manitowoc and Sheboygan. The result of the election 
was as follows: — Gram 2289. Greeley 2677; for congress, 
Eldridge 2526, Baetz, 2443. Mr. Baetz was also defeated by 
a heavy majority in the rest of the district. In 1874 Bur- 



140 

chard, the Democratic nominee for cong-ress, received 3157 
votes, Barber, his opponent, polling only 1923. The next 
campaig"n was a memorable one. A Hayes club, of which A. 
D. Jones was president was early organized and among the 
speakers secured by the Republicans were ex-Governor Salo- 
mon and Matt Carpenter. T)ie result was an overwhelming- 
victory for the Democrats, Tilden receiving 3908 votes to 
Hayes' 2700 while Bragg for congress received 3913 ag-ainst 
2692 for G. W. Carter, his Republican opponent. During the 
long electoral struggle that followed the election excitement 
was intense, the Democrats holding mass meetings in protest 
against the final decision of the electoral commission. In 1878 
Gen. Bragg secured another large majority of 1085 for con- 
gress over Smith, his opponent, which was reduced in 1880 to 
630 over Colman, Republican. 

The presidential campaign of 1880 was somewhat fea- 
tureless in the county. Gen. Hancock, the Democratic nomi- 
nee cairying it by a somewhat reduced majority, his vote be- 
ing 3676 while that for Garfield was 2988. Two years later a 
Manitowoc man again ran for congress and this time secured 
the prize. He was Joseph Rankin, a Democrat and one of 
the most poj ular and straightforward men that Wisconsin 
has ever sent to national council halls. In the eighties the 
Fifth district included Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, 
Ozaukee, Calumet and Brown counties. Rankin received 
3228 votes in the county and 12,933 in the district, while his 
opponent, Howland, received 1483 votes in the county and 
6108 in the district. The Prohibition district convention 
was held in Manitowoc that year and at the time about one 
hundred votes, the maximum of the party's strength, were 
polled in the county. In 1884 Congressman Rankin ran again, 
this time against Charles Luling, also of Manitowoc and de- 
feated him by a majority of 1353 in the county and 6241 in 
the district. As elsewhere in the country the Blaine-Cleve- 
land fight of 1884 was a bitter one but the latter's majority 
was very large, the vote being- Cleveland 4203, Blaine 2525. 
Cong-ressman Rankin died early in 1886, greatly lamented at 
Washington as well as at his home and it became necessary 



141 

to hold a special election to fill the remainder of his term. 
Charles Luling- was nominated by the Republicans and Jos- 
eph Vilas put forward b}' Manitowoc Democrats before their 
party convention but their claims were rejected, larg-ely 
throug-h the action of the Sheboyg-an deleg-ates. Thomas R* 
Hudd of Green Bay received the nomination, the vote beings 
Hudd 16, Vilas 8, Horn 3, Timlin 3. Local Democrats re- 
sented this action of their convention and the result was that 
Mr, Luling- carried the count}', his vote being- 2338 as ag-ainst 
Hudd's 1586, although the latter's majority in the district 
was 3781. Hudd carried the county in the fall at the reg-ular 
election, his majority over Kuesterman, his Democratic op- 
ponent, being- 1534. The Cleveland administration recog-- 
nized Manitowoc Democracy by appointing- William A. 
Walker United States • district attorney, that g-entleman 
thereupon removing- to Milwaukee. 

The presidential campaig-n of 1888 in the county was one 
of g-reat enthusiasm, parades being- frequent. The result 
was another majority for Cleveland, reduced somewhat but 
still substantial, his vote being 4218 ag-ainst 2713 for Harri- 
son, 127 for Streeter, Prohibitionist, and 19 for Fish, Labor, 
George Brickner, the Democratic candidate for congress de- 
feating- Kuesterman by about the same majority, Brickner 
ag-ain carried the county in 1890 by a majority of 1285 over 
T. Blackstock, a Republican. In 1892 a long- deadlock oc- 
cured at the Democratic cong-ressional convention held at 
Fond du Lac. The deleg-ates from Manitowoc supported A. 
J. Schmitz as did many others but after scores of ballots 
Owen A. Wells of Fond du Lac received the nomination. 
Manitowoc was now in the Sixth district, including- the 
counties of Marquette, Fond du Lac, Winnebag-o, Calumet, 
Waushara and Green Lake. The Republicans in this cam- 
paign placed Emil Baensch in the field for cong-ress. The 
result of the campaign was easily discernible by men of po- 
litical experience even before the vote had been taken. The 
feeling against the McKinley tariff bill was strong and par- 
ticularly so in the west. The Cleveland landslide was tre- 
mendous, his vote in the county being 4349 as against Har- 



142 

rison's 2276, a majority of 2073. Owing- to the popularity of 
candidate Baensch he ran about six hundred votes ahead of 
his ticket, but failed of election in the district. The county 
soon underwent a g-eneral political chang-e, due perhaps to 
the stringency of the times and in 1894 the contest for con- 
g"ress was ag-ain close, Wells receiving- 3368 votes while S. A. 
Cook, the Republican nominee received 2923, he carrying the 
district. The Populisit party about this time became a fac- 
tor and secured many adherents in the two cities of the coun- 
ty, detracting largely from the Democratic strength. The 
silver issue then came to the front and many prominent 
Democrats, including John Nagle, editor of the Pilot, bolted 
the Bryan ticket. This defection spread throughout all por- 
tions of the county, causing a great change, which was 
doubtless augmented by the able speakers, such as General 
Bragg, Senator Quarles and others who were sent to the 
county to address the citizens. The result was a Republican 
victory, the first on national issues since 1860, the vote being 
as follows:— McKinley 4431, Bryan 3917, Palmer lb3, the 
last being the Gold Democratic vote. J. H. Davidson, the 
Republican nominee for congress, also carried the county 
by a majority somewhat smaller over W. F. Gruenewald.* 
In 1898 Mr. Davidson and J. Stewart were opponents, 
Davidson losing the county by 206 votes. In 1900 silver 
plus expansion was again before the people and Manitowoc 
county remained in the Republican column. The local cam^ 
paign was a hard fought one and McKinley 's majority was 
somewhat reduced, the vote being as follows: — McKinley 
4317, Bryan 4167, Debs 169, Wooley 65, Mallory 4. Con- 
gressman Davidson also carried the county by a majority of 
241 over his Democratic opponent, Mr. Watson of Fond du 
Lac, and in 1902 he was again re-elected, carrying Manitowoc 
county by 418 votes over Thomas Patterson. Summarizing 
it will be seen that the Republicans have carried the county 
in but three out of fourteen presidential campaigns, and in 
only seven out of twenty-seven congressional struggles. 




PETER JOHNSTON 



143 

STATE POLITICS. 
Manitowoc county has voted for g-overnors of the state 
larg-ely as it voted for presidents of the nation. It is of in- 
terest, however, to note how and bj whom the county has 
been represented in the leg-islature and on the state tickets of 
the various political organizations. In territorial days Man- 
itowoc was represented in the council and assembly larg-ely 
by strang-ers, mainly from firown county. The vote of the 
county in 1837 was called into question in a contest for a 
scat in the council. At this election the county g-ave J. 
Dickinson 32 votes and A. J. Irwia 2. In 1840 J. W. Conroe 
was elected to the lower house from Brown county and held 
the position for several years, being" the sole representative 
from Manitowoc until statehood was reached. C. V. Arndt 
of Green Bay, who was a representative of the Manitowoc 
interests was shot by another legislator in 1842 and the news 
of the tragedy created considerable stir when it reached his 
constituents. W. H . Bruce, then a resident of the Rapids 
and a friend of the murdered man, made a trip to the state 
capitol in the dead of winter in order, if possible, to assist in 
aveng-ing- the dastardly act. In 1843 a vote concerning- the 
adoption of a state governmjnt was taken, the vote in the 
county being- 5 for and 6 ag-ainst the proposition, showing- 
that little interest was taken in the matter at the time. On 
August 7 1846 the question ag-ain came up and Manitowoc 
registered its vote as 23 for and 4 ag-ainst the proposition. 
A constitutional convention was called in 1847 and Kvander 
M. Soper was sent to represent Manitowoc county. He 
served on the committee on banks and banking- but otherwise 
took no prominent part in the proceedings. The labors of 
this convention were rejected in the state when the constitu- 
tion was put to a popular vote, although it carried the county 
by a vote of 96 to 45, Manitowoc also reg-istering- her vote 
ag-ainst the equal suffrag-e of the negro at the time. A sec- 
ond constitutional convention was called as soon as the work 
of the first had been rejected and this time the people ac- 
cepted the document, Manitowoc county g^iving- 122 votes for 
and 5 ag-ainst the proposition. It was represented in this 



144 

convention together with Shebcygan by Silas Steadman, an 
old settler of the town of Sheboyg-an Falls. 

Then followed the first election. Manitowoc was placed 
in the First Senatorial district tog-ether with Brown and 
Sheboyg-an counties and H. C. Hobart of Sheboyg"an was 
chosen the first senator, becoming- a leading- member of the 
upper house. The vote for assemblyman resulted in a tie be- 
tween D. Smith of Mishicot and Ezra Durg-in. K. K, Jones 
in a letter to the Manitowoc Pilot published in 1860 describes 
the first state election in the county as follows: —"Within 
about threi weeks after my arrival (May 1848) we had an 
election for a representative to the first state legfislature. 
Col. Ezra Durg-in, and the lamented and noble Daniel Smith 
of Mishicot were opposing- candidates. The result was a tie; 
a new election was called by John Plumb, a deputy under- 
sheriff of Brown county. We, the Smith men, denied the le- 
g-ality of the call and g-enerally staid at home and the Durg-in 
men had it all to themselves. Next week lihder a call from 
the coroner, the late Hubbard, Uncle Dan's friends went in 
on their muscle and had an election all alone in their g-lory. 
I believe we claimed more votes cast at our election than 
theirs. However Col. Durg-in took his seat and a very in- 
flrential and energ-etic member he made. If Manitowoc nev- 
er had a worse one to represent her she may well be proud of 
them all. The g-ood old Whig- party of those dav's in the 
county consisted of James L. Kyle, James Bennett, Harvey 
Case, Pliny Pierce, Daniel Smith, Alfred Smith, H. H. 
Smith, Fred Borcherdt imd perhaps a half dozen others, 
whom I do not now remember, excepting- our old friend Mc- 
Nulty who was then one of us. I was also counted in that 
squad. Col. Sherwood used to say he admired our courag-e 
but had a poor opinion of our discretion. Yet we used to 
make a heap of trouble in your wig-warns at every election." 
At this same election Dewey, the Democratic nominee for 
governor, carried the count}- by twenty votes over Tweedy 
his Whig- opponent. 

Until 1857 Manitowoc was represented in the state sen- 
ate by men from other counties, including Samuel Goodel of 



145 

Stockbridg-e, Theodore Conkey of Appleton, H. N. Smith of 
Plymouth and David Taylor of Sheboyg-an. In the assembly, 
however, during- the same period the county remained as one 
of the units of representation. Charles Kuehn was unani- 
mously elected in the fall of 1848 and the succeeding- fall de- 
feated James L. Kyle, the Whig- candidate, by a vote of 182 
to 132. In the election of 1850 G. C. O. Malmros received 
229 votes for the position as ag-ainst 214 cast for J. M. 
Sprag-ue and 68 for A. W, Preston while in 1851 and 1852 E. 
Ricker defeated S. B. Sherwood and B. P. White respectively. 
In the fall of 1853 the Whig-s were victorious, James L. Kyle 
receiving- 543 and J, M. Sherwood 416 votes, althoug-h Bars- 
tow the Democratic candidate for g-overnor carried the coun- 
ty by over 600 majoiity In that year also the county g-ave 
618 votes ag-ainst and only 319 for the prohibitory liquor law 
then before the people. In 1854 a three cornered strug^g-le 
occurred in the county for a seat in the lower house. James 
Bennett was placed in nomination by the newly org-anized 
Republicans, Lyman Emerson by the Democrats and J. M. 
Sherwood by the Independent Democrats. Bennett was 
elected, receiving 616 votes, while Emerson received but 313 
and Sherwood 308. Manitowoc county played an important 
part in the formation of the Republican party in the state of 
Wisconsin during- this year. It may be well said that the or- 
g-anization took definite form at a People's State convention 
held in Madison on July 31st. C. Roeser was a delegate to 
this convention from the county and was made the candidate 
of the new party for the position of state treasurer in 1855, 
he and Charles Kuehn his' successful opponent in that year 
being the first men from Manitowoc to attain places on a 
state ticket of any political organization. The Democratic 
majority for governor was 376 and C. H. Walker, a Democrat, 
was sent to the assembly by an even larger vote. Charles 
Kuehn served two years as state treasurer and made a very 
efficient officer. B}^ the new apportionment going into effect 
in 1856 Manitowoc and Calumet counties were placed in one 
senatorial district while the former was divided into two as- 
sembly districts, the first including the towns of Two Rivers, 



146 

Mishicot, Kossuth and Manitowoc while the second comprised 
the towns of Rapids, Maple Grove, Franklin, Eaton, Newton, 
Meeme, Schleswig" and Centerville. Both candidates for sen- 
atorial honors in that year were from Manitowoc, Temple 
Clark the Democratic nominee defeating" O. tl. Piatt by about 
570 votes and in the assembly districts C. H. Walker and T. 
Cunningham, both Democrats, were successful. In the suc- 
ceeding- year these men were followed by H. C. Hamilton and 
J. B. Dunn, also followers of Jeffersonian doctrines, Hamil- 
ton giving away in 1858 to a Republican, William Aldrich, 
the defeat of the regfular Democratic candidate being" larg-ely 
due to the independent candidacy of S. A. Wood, who re- 
ceived 111 votes, thus cutting down the vote of Temple Clark, 
the regular candidate of-the party, to 741. For senator S. H. 
Thurber, a leading- merchant, was successful in defeating- Dr. 
Preston, his Republican opponent. Assemblyman Aldrich 
soon became very prominent in the leg-islature and was hig-h- 
ly reg-arded over the state. The g-ubernatorial election of 
1859 was a hard foug-ht one between Alexander Randall and 
Harrison C. Hobart, the nominees of the Republican and 
Democratic parties respectively. Arrang-ements were made 
for a series of joint debates between them during- the cam- 
paign and Manitowoc was chosen as the scene of one of the 
forensic strug-g-les. Mr. Randall was unable to be present 
but sent as his representative Carl Schurz, who came to Man- 
itowoc for the occasion. Each was g-iven an hour and the 
debate was an event long- to be remembered by all present, it 
being said that the result might well have been declared a 
draw. Hobart was not elected althoug-h he carried the coun- 
ty by 1430 majority and both districts sent Democrats to the 
assembly, Joseph Rankin from the First and Peter Mulhol- 
] and from the Second. In 1860 owing to disaffection in the 
Democratic camps both returned Republicans, J. L. Fobes re- 
presenting the First and Joseph Stephenson the Second, 
while B. J. Sweet, a Republican from Calumet count}- carried 
the county by over 400 majority for senatorial honors. 

Then came another apportionment, the senatorial dis- 
trict, now known as the Nineteenth, remaining- unchanged 



147 

but the county being- divided into three assembly districts; 
the first including- Centerville, Meeme, Schleswig, Eaton, 
Liberty, Newton and Rockland; the second Rapids, Cato, 
Maple Grove, Franklin, Kossuth and Cooperstown and the 
third Manitowoc, Two Rivers, Mishicot, Gibson and Two 
Creeks. In two of the three in the fall of 1861 Democrats 
were chosen by small majorities, the favored ones being- J. 
Cahill of the second and E. K. Rand of the third district. In 
the first, however, S. Rounseville a Republican was elected 
by 8 majority. The vote for governor was also Democratic 
that year. Edward Salomon of Manitowoc was the candid- 
ate for the Republicans for the position of lieutenant g-overn- 
or and by the death of Gov. Harvey in 1862 the former be- 
came the chief magistrate of the state, a position which he 
held until January 1864, he being- one of the first of his na- 
tionality in the western states to hold such hig-h office. In 
1862 both Messrs. Rand and Cahill were reelected by increased 
majorities and D. Shanahan, a Democrat, succeeding- Mr. 
Rounseville in the first district while Joseph Vilas, also of 
that party, became state senator. In 1863 the Democrats lost 
ground ag-ain, P. P. Fuessenich a Republican being- sent to 
Madison from the first district, althoug-h T. Thornton and D. 
Smoke, both Democrats, represented the remainder of the 
county. H. S. Pierpont was the Democratic candidate for 
state bank comptroller in this campaig-n but went down in 
defeat with the others of his party. It was in this y< ar also 
that the town of Maple Grove went unanimously Democratic, 
a feat which called forth considerable comment and the pre- 
sentation of a fiag on the part of the Democratic ladies of the 
county. The campaign of 1864brought aboutother changes, 
the first and second districts returning- Democrats, H. Mul- 
holland and M. Murphy while the third elected C. B.-Dag-gctt 
of Two Rivers, a Republican. Georg-e Reed secured a grati- 
fying majority for the senatorship and immediately occupied 
a prominent place in state affairs. He held the place six 
years, being- reelected by large majorities in 1866 and 1868 
and was particularly valuable as a member of the committees 
on finance and banking-. In the fall of 1865 the state decided 



148 

the question of negro suffragfe, the vote in the county being- 
840 for and 1858 agfainst the proposition. In the first district 
that fall three candidates were in the field, H, Mulholland, 
P. J. Pierce and N, Dittmar, the first two being- Democrats 
and the last named a Republican. The result was that Ditt- 
mar was elected althoug-h the second and third districts re- 
turned Democrats, William Eatough and David Smoke. 

No chang-es were made by the apportionment of 1866 as 
far as the county was concerned. Mr. Dittmar was reelected 
in the first and M. Murphy and T. Robinson chosen in the 
second and third districts. In the next year John H. Bohne, 
Richard Donovan and David Smoke, all Democrats, repre- 
sented the various districts and a strong- majority was reg-is- 
tered for Tallmadg-e, the Democratic nominee for governor 
as against Fairchild. In the fall of 1868 the representatives 
from the first and second districts were reelected but in the 
third J. L. Fobes, a Republican, defeated D. Smoke by sixty 
votes. A year later Henry Baetz was chosen by the Repub- 
licans as their candidate for state treasurer and was elected, 
althoug-h the county of his residence went Democratic. 
Three Democratic assemblymen, John Earth, Michael Fitz- 
g-erald and C. H. Schmidt were also chosen. The political 
strug-g-le for leg-islative positions in 1870 was a bitter one. 
Three candidates for senatorial honors were placed in the 
field, J. Carey by the Republicans, althoug-h he had been and 
was later a Democrat, W. Bach by the People's party and C. 
H. Schmidt by the Democrats. Schmidt was elected, receiv- 
ing- 2141 votes to Carey's 1411 and Bach's 1011, and was re- 
elected two years later by a somewhat smaller majority, the 
number of the district then being- chang-ed to the Fifteenth, 
which it has since remained. For the assembly S. Samuel- 
son, a Republican was successful in the first district, M. 
Fitzg^erald was reelected in the second and Joseph Rankin 
chosen in the third. Assembl3^man Rankin was ag-ain hon- 
ored in 1871 but Samuelson g-ave way to Peter Reuther, 
another Republican, and Fitzg-erald to Martin McNamara, a 
Democrat. A year later there were elected C. R. Zorn, O. S. 



149 

Davis and J. Rankin and in 1873 W. R. Taylor the Democrat- 
ic nominee for g-overnor secured a larg-e majority and in all 
three assembl}' districts Democrats were chosen to the assem- 
bly, C. R. Zorn, B. S. Lorng-an and Joseph Rankin, the ma- 
jority of the last named being- over 800. John Schuette was 
the next incumbent of the senatorial position, defeating- Jos- 
eph Vilas in a hard fought contest in 1874. B. Lorrigan 
was reelected in the second assembly district but C. R. Zorn 
was superseded in the first by Fred Schmitz, a Newton 
Democrat, while in the third R. D. Smart, a Republican was 
selected. The next year Democrats were chosen to fill all the 
positions, the winning candidates being- C. R. Zorn, T. Mohr 
and "William Tisch. Senator Schuette was one of the Re- 
publicans who supported Don A. Cameron in the heated 
struggle for the United States senatorship and did much to 
make that. statesman's election possible. 

The apportionment of 1876 changed the outlines of the 
assembly districts of the county considerably, Cato, Maple 
Grove and Franklin being taken from the second and added 
to the first, Centerville and Newton from the first and 
added to the third, Rapids from the second and added to the 
third and Gibson, Two Rivers, Two Creeks and Mish- 
icot changed from the third to the second. Thus constituted 
the first district returned Thomas Thornton, a Democrat, the 
second Thomas Mohr, another Democrat and the third Peter 
Johnston, a Republican. Senator Schuette ran again but 
was defeated by Joseph Rankin, who remained the represent- 
ative of the Fifteenth for six years thereafter, defeating- 
Charles LuUng in 1878 and H. H. Smith in 1880. Senator 
Rankin gained an enviable reputation at Madison, one which 
later lifted him into a seat in the national council chamber 
He was chairman of the Democratic state central committee 
for two years during his incumbency as a state official. In 
1877 Manitowoc gave 600 majority for the Democratic can- 
didate for governor, J. A. Mai lory and chose three men of 
the same faith to represent it in the assembly, Thomas 
Thornton, W. F. Nash and Henry Vits. John Carey, Demo- 



160 

crat, became the representative of the first district a year 
later, another Democrat, William Zander in the second and a 
Republican, W. H. Hem[ischemeyer in the third. Carey and 
Hempschenieyer were reelected in 1879 but F. Pfunder, a 
Democrat, succeeded Zander in the second. In 1880 a new 
set of men were sent to Madison, Thomas Gleeson from the 
first, Ira P. Smith from the second and C. E. Estabrook from 
the third, all Democrats but the last named. He was re- 
elected a year later, but Gleeson g-ave way to Peter Phillips, 
a Republican and Smith to Henry Goedg-en, a Democrat In 
1882 since Senator Rankin was running for congress it be- 
came necessary to choose his successor. The Republicans 
placed D. Nottage of Two Riv^crs in nomination, the Demo- 
crats J. Carey and the Prohibitionists E. J. Smalley, Carey 
winning by over 500 votes. He remained in office until his 
death in 1887, being reelected in 1884 and 1886. The assem- 
blymen elected with Carey in 1882 were J. Miller, H. Goed- 
gen and W. T. Albers, all Democrats. The first district re- 
elected their representative in 1884 but Messrs. Goedgen and 
Albers were succeeded by John Robinson, Democrat and C. 
E. Estabrook, Republican, the latter defeating his Democratic 
opponent, John FrarLZ by a close margin of four votes. By 
this time the elections for governor was changed to the even 
years and the assemblymen were elected as the senators had 
been formerly, that is to say biennially, while the senators 
were chosen every four years. In 1886 Manitowoc was quite 
prominent in state politics, C. E. Estabrook being chosen at- 
torney general as the candidate of the Republicans and W. 
A. "Walker acting as chairman of the Democratic state central 
committee. To the assembly the three districts sent D. 
Tracy, Isaac Craite and Reinhardt Rahr, all Democrats. 

According to the apportionment which went into effect 
in that year Manitowoc and K :waunee counties were com- 
bined in one senatorial district and W. F. Nash of Two Riv- 
a strong Democrat, was elected in 1888 by a large majority 
over C. F. Smalley. In the assembly apportionment the three 
districts were retained but many changes made, Centreville 
being transferred from the third to the. first and Maple Grove 



151 

and Franklin from the first to the second, thus reducing- the 
third district to Manitowoc, Rapids and Newton. The towns 
of Franklin and Carlton in Kewaunee county were also made 
a part of the second district. In the first district, thus con- 
stituted, E. P. Scheibe, a Democrat, was chosen, in the sec- 
ond Isaac Craite reelected and in the third J. S. Anderson, a 
Republican, selected. In 1890 the Bennett law, compelling- 
public school education, was an issue in Wisconsin and feeling- 
among- the supporters of the parochial institutions ran hig-h. 
The result in Manitowoc ccunty was a phenomenal majority 
of 2182 for George W. Peck as against W. D. Hoard for g-ov- 
ernor, a most sweeping- Democratic victory and for the as- 
sembly three Democrats were also chosen by larg-e majorities, 
P. J. Conway, J. P. Nolan and William Croll. Then by the 
apportionment of 1892 Calumet was ag-ain attached to Man- 
itowoc instead of Kewaunee and the number of assembly dis- 
tricts was reduced to two, the first including- the towns of 
Centerville, Cato, Eaton, Liberty, Meeme, Rockland, Schles- 
wig-. Rapids, Kossuth, Franklin, Maple Grove and Newton 
and the second comprising- Manitowoc, Two Rivers, Mishi- 
cot. Two Creeks, Gibson and Cooperstown. Senator Nash 
held ofl&ce until 1894, being- succeeded by J. McMuUen of 
Calumet county. In 1892 P. J. Conway and W. Croll were 
returned as assemblymen and two years later the latter was 
reelected althoug-h Mr. Conway was succeeded by F. C. 
Maertz, another Democrat. In that year, (1894) Manitowoc 
was well represented on state tickets, both the candidates of 
the Republican and Democratic parties for the office of lieu- 
tenant g-overnor, Emil Baensch and A. J. Schmitz, being resi- 
dents of the city. The vote for lieutenant g-overnor in the 
county was Baensch 3223, Schmitz 3165, the former running- 
several hundred votes ahead of his ticket and being- success- 
ful in the state as well, securing- an office which he held with 
g-reat credit to himself for four years. Henry Stolze received 
356 votes in the county. 

The Republicans g-aining control another apportionment 
took place in 1896, Cato, Centerville, Liberty, Meeme, Rapids, 
Newton and Manitowoc composing- the first and the rest of 



152 

the coanty the second district. Charles W. Sweeting-, a Re- 
publican, was chosen to represent the first and Mr. Maertz 
was .reelected by his constituents in the second district that 
year. In 1898 Sweeting- was succeeded by Joseph Willott, 
another Republican, who was ag-ain elected in 1900, while in 
the second district Jonas Gag-non of Two Rivers was chosen 
twice to serve its interests. For the senate the choice fell 
upon Norman A. Knudson, a young- Republican who g-ained 
the district by 19 majority. The apportionment of 1901 left 
the assembly districts unchang-ed with the exception of the 
transfer of the town of Cato from the first to the second dis- 
trict. Among- the candidates for state offices in 1900 were 
Georg-e Dicke of Two Rivers and Max Goeres of Kiel, the 
nominees of the Social Democracy for the positions of lieuten- 
ant g-overnor and insurance commissioner respectively. 

Joseph Willott succeeded himself as'assemblyman in 1902 
while Mr. Gag-non made way for another Democrat, N. Ter- 
ens of Mishicot. Senator Knudson not being a candidate for 
reelection, W. A. Knauf of Chilton was placed in the field by 
the Republicans while Samuel Randolph, Jr. was nominated 
by the Democrats. The latter carried both counties by a 
close vote and was consequently the chosen representative of 
the district in the Senate. For g-overnor however the county 
reg-istered its preference for Robert M. LaFollette. The 
Social Democratic vote of this year was considerable, amount- 
ing- to over four hundred, and the county was represented on 
the state ticket of the organization. 

COUNTY POLITICS. 

As was stated before the county of Manitowoc was org-an- 
ized as a separate political unit for all except judicial pur- 
poses in December 1838. The first election was held accord- 
ingly on March 4 1839 at the residence of P. P. Pierce near 
the villag-e of Rapids. O. C. Hubbard and Horace Conroe 
were judg-es of the election and Peter Johnston and J. F. Este 
clerks. Two parties were in evidence even in this primeval 
community, the one composed of the partisans of B. Jones, 
who resided at the mouth of the river and the other made up 



153 

of Conroe's follo^vers. There were only thirtj^-five votes cast 
and as the Conroe party numbered seventeen their ticket was 
chosen as follows: — Count}^ commissioners, Horace Conroe, J. 
G. Conroe, J. Rigby; assessor, O. C. Hubbard; reg-ister of 
deeds, J. W. Conroe; collector, Peter Johnston. Under the 
law then in existence the county commissioners corresponded 
to the present county board but were elected from the county 
as a whole, — a system which obtained in Wisconsin until 
1849 and again from 1861 to 1870. The ofifice of collector 
corresponded to the modern county treasurer. The other 
county officers such as sheriff, district attorney, clerk of the 
court and county judge did not become necessary until Man- 
itowoc was organized judicially while the count}- clerk was 
chosen by the commissioners. These latter met first on 
March 15, choosing J. W. Conroe as clerk and J. G. Conroe 
chairman. The principal business was the appointment of 
three constables, Joseph Estes, W. Flinn and Chauncey Cal- 
houn, At about the same time the legislature of the terri- 
tory changed the name of the township from Conroe back to 
Manitowoc and provided that polls should be established at 
the steam sawmill at the Rapids and at "the public house" 
at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. In May two precincts 
were laid out, W. T, Sheppard, S. C. Chase and John Glap 
being chosen judges of election in the Two Rivers and J. W. 
Conroe, H. McAllister and B. Jones in the Manitowoc pre- 
cinct. Thus was the county legally established and in 1840 
J. W. Conroe constructed a one story county and town house 
at the northern limits of the village of Rapids, it being 24 by 
38 feet in dimensions. This structure remained for twelve 
years the seat of government. For ten years the county 
• board was composed of three members, one retiring annually. 
The principal business before that body was the laying out of 
roads and school districts and the appointment of constables 
and other minor officials. Among the latter were Constables 
D. S. Munger, S. Peake, E. h. Abbott, J. Hoisted, H. B. Ed- 
,son, J. Edwards, F. Laduke and L. D. Sackett; Tax Collectors 
D. S. Munger, E. D. Beardsley, P. P. Smith and Evander 
Soper. The county was sparsely populated and li-ttle gov- 



154 

ernment, even of a local nature, was needed for some time, 
the work done being- largely ministerial. The men who 
composed the board were, however, leaders in the community 
and served their constituents well. In October 1839 Horace 
and J. L. Conroe were succeeded by Benjamin Jones and Jos- 
eph Kdwards, showing- that "the mouth" was in the ascend- 
ant, althoug-h a year later J. G. Conroe was returned instead 
of J. Edwards while Rigny, one of the first board after sever- 
al year's service gave way to R. M. Eberts, the founder of 
Two Rivers. No change in the personnel of the board then 
occurred until 1842 when Conroe -was succeeded by Oliver 
Clawson and in 1843 Eberts g-ave way to H. McAllist(r, who 
was soon succeeded, however, by Evander M. Soper, while 
Joel R. Smith succeeded Benjamin Jones. In 1844 A. Hoyt 
took the place formerly held by Evander Soper and the next 
year H. H. Champlin that of O. C. Hubbard, who had served 
one year instead of Mr. Clawson, the latter however ag-ain 
g-iving- way in 1846 to Daniel Smith of Mishicot. In 1847 
the board was made up of Oliver Clawson, Daniel Smith and 
Charles McAllister, the first named followed by E. M. Soper 
the next year. The last board under this county system of 
representation was elected in the fall of 1848 and consisted of 
J. M. Sprag-ue, Albert Wheeler and Peter Poh. 

The year 1848 witnessed several important changes in 
the county government. The county officials, who prior to 
this time had been appointed or elected annually were now to 
hold for two years. The township county board system, 
which had been optional in Wisconsin Territory since 1841, 
was now made compulsory and finally by legislative act of 
March 2 1848 Manitowoc couniy was judicially separated 
from Brown county, the act taking- effect after the second 
Tuesday in April. The county was made a part of the Third 
Judicial Circuit under Judg-e A. W. Stow and it was ordered 
that proper rooms should be provided for the court at an ex- 
pense of not exceeding $100 per year. The first term of court 
was held by Judg-e Stow on September 15 1848. O. C. 
Hubbard was chosen sheriff and E. Ricker clerk to act until 
the first of the following- year; E- H. Ellis, J. W. Colby and 



165 

J. h. Kyle were admitted to the bar and an indictment was 
found for trespass on state lands. The records having- to do 
with the county were removed to the Rapids from Green Bay 
also in this year, the work being- under the direction of John 
P. Champlin. In the fall the first biennial election for coun- 
ty officers took place. Several candidates were frequently in 
the field for the same office in these early days and the per- 
sonal more than the partisan element predominated for some 
time. In fact it may be said that it was not until 1854 that 
the various candidates for local office g-enerally alligned 
themselves under the banner cf some political party. The 
officers chosen in this first election were as follows: — Sheriif, 
Georg-e W. Durgin; county treasurer, Pliny Pierce; register 
of deeds, A. VV. Preston; county clerk, E, H. Ellis; clerk of 
court, Ezekiel Kicker; surveyor, E. D. Beardsley; coroner, 
Joseph Edwards; county judg-e, J. H. W. Colby. Elections 
were held in the odd years for several of the olifices.at the be- 
g-inning- and thus it was that in 1849 Adam Bleser became 
treasurer, and P. P. Smith clerk of court. In the same year 
a jail was built at a cost of $235. 

By the county organization formed in 1848 four town- 
ships, Manitowoc, Manitowoc Rapids, Two Rivers and 
Meeme were set off and the first session of the county board 
occurred June 28, 1849, the members being- Andrew J. 
Vieau of Manitowoc, John Stewart of Two Rivers, Charles 
IvIcAllister of Rapids and T. Cunningham of Meeme. The 
polls in the four towns were respectively as follows: — 
The American House, the h<^me of Sebastian Boldus, the 
Courthouse and the home of H. B. Edson. Early in 1850 the 
towns of Newton and Centerville were formed, the first elec- 
tion being- held in private houses and in the fall Maple Grove 
was added. The first rej)resentativesfrom th^se towns were: 
— Centerville, Charles Koehler; Newton, F. Hacker and 
Maple Grove, M. C. Brown. In 1850 a full set of county of- 
ficers were elected with the exception of couuty clerk, that 
official being- chosen in the odd years until 1883. It was in 
this year also that the legislature added the slice of territory, 



156 

now composing- the northern tier of townships, to the county. 
The towns of Kossuth and Eaton, or as it was first called, 
Valders, were formed in 1851 with William Katoug-h and 
Georg^e Monroe as their first representatives, Kossuth being- 
set otf from Rapids. The board at about this time adopted 
the county poor farm system which continued in use for over 
ten years when the more popular township system of main- 
tenance supplanted it. Little interest was shown in the po- 
litical campaig-n of 1852, most of the officers being- elected 
unanimously or as independent candidates. In this year the 
county suffered a serious loss in the burning of the courthouse 
at the Rapids. The fire was set on April 30th by an insane 
man named Benjamin E. f^ynde, who was confined in the jail 
and both the structures were a total loss, althoug-h the rec- 
ords were fortunately saved. The fire and the fact that 
Manitowoc had by tar outstripped Rapids led to the ag-itation 
for the removal of the count}^ seat to the former place. The 
matter came to a vote on April 14 1853 in accordance with 
leg-islative permission g-ranted a month earlier. Ten town- 
ships registered their opinion in the matter, Mishicot, or as 
it was first called, Saxonburgh, having- been organized with 
F. Borcherdt as chairman late in 1852. The vote resulted in 
an overwhelming- majority in favor of the chang-e, being- as 
follows: — 



Town 


For 


Ag-ainst 


Manitowoc 


278 


2 


Eaton 


24 





Rapids 


8 


52 


Newton 


74 


1 


Kossuth 


71 


4 


Meeme 


41 


1 


Centreville 


2 





Two Rivers 




No returns 


Mishicot 




i i 


Maple Grove 




n 



Total 498 6Q 



167 

Strang^e to say, however, the battle was only half over 
when the removal was decided upon for the question immedi- 
ately arose on which side of the river the structure should be 
placed. The people residing- on the north side suggested 
Union Park but the site finally chosen on South Eighth 
Street was a strong competitor from the first. The legisla- 
ture of 1853 authorized a loan with which the building should 
be erected at a cost of not to exceed $5000, which sum was 
raised to $10,000 two years later after several public meeting-s 
had been held to consider the wisdom of the increase for the 
proposition had met with considerable opposition. Delays 
followed and for three years the question of a site was a 
rnooted one in village politics. Finally, however, the south 
side triumphed and in 1857 the courthouse was constructed, 
John Meyer being- the architect. An attempt had been made 
at construction a year or two before under the direction of a 
building committee but a defect had been found in the found- 
ation and a new committee, consisting- of G. Lee, E. D. 
Beardsley and S. Hill was appointed under whose direction 
the work was completed. 

The campaig-n of 1854 was a most bitter one. By this 
time the Republican party was a factor and many who had 
formerly been Democrats flocked to the new organization. 
To make matters more complicated a well defined movement 
of defection occured in the Democratic ranks. The county 
convention of the party was a scene of discord and after it 
was over independent nominees were placed in the field for 
the offices of county treasurer, district attorney and sheriff. 
The Republicans thus succeeded in electing their entire tick- 
et with the exception of the register of deeds. The vote is 
an interesting one as illustrating- that men and not the party 
was the principle of division at the time. It was as follows: 

Office Rep. Dem. Ind. 

Sheriff F. W. Adams 536 A. McCullom 369 S. Carpenter338 
Treas. G. Kremers 682 W. Bach 520 S. Kelley 53 

Register of deeds 

F. Salomon 481 A. N. Baker 755 



158 

District attorney 

W. Hamilton 836 N. WoUmer 3^4 
Surveyor F. Armsby 1248 
Coroner S. Bates '881 A. Preston 581 

County clerk 

C. Roeser 714 C. A. Renter 506 

The Democralic party in the county soon, however, re- 
covered from its internal dissensions and in 1855 elected C. A. 
Renter, their candidate for clerk of court by a larg-e majority, 
while in 1856 they were victorious all along- the line, not- 
withstanding- the fact that there were independent candid- 
ates for both the offices of sheriff and county clerk. In 1855 
the town of Schleswig-, or as it was first known, Abel, was 
formed and H. F. Belitz chosen as its first representative in 
the county board. Cooperstown, Rockland and Franklin 
■were also set off soon after, being- represented respectively by 
J. R. "Weber, Louis Faulhaber and Alanson Hickok. In 1857 
the various wards of the villag-es of Two Rivers and Manito- 
woc were recognized as units of representation in the board, 
there being- at that time three such divisions in Manitowoc, 
althoug-h the first and third tog-ether were g-iven but one sup- 
ervisor at first, and two in Two Rivers. Thereafter as the 
towns g-rew each ward was g-iven representation as it came 
into existence, thus preserving- the balance between the rural 
and urban interests. In early judicial affairs politics were 
largely tabooed. Judg-e Gorsline received the almost unani- 
mous support of the county in the spring- of 1856 for the cir- 
cuit bench and at his resig-nation the year following- Judg-e 
David Taylor of Sheboygan was appointed. At this time 
Kewaunee county was attached to Manitowoc for judicial 
purposes. As county judg-es the successors of Ezekiel Ricker 
whose death occurred in 1854 were Georg-e Reed who resigned, 
then Georg-e C. Lee who also relinquished the office after a 
short incumbency, Isaac Parrish, who served until 1858 and 
Charles H. Walker who defeated Parrish for reelection by a 
majority of 1013 votes. 

The Democrats retained their power in 1857 when they 
elected their candidate for clerk of court and in 1858 when al- 




C. p. MUNGER 



15§ 

tnost the whole county ticket was victorious. During" the 
latter campaign there was again disaffection in the ranks, 
not sufficient to chang-e the result at the polls however. 
Prominent among- the bolters were Col. Sherwood, G. W. 
Barker, W. F. Eldredge, William Eatough, M. Playfair and 
Patrick P^lynn and they placed D. H. Van Valkenburg-h in 
the field as sheriff ag-ainst Louis Kemper, the reg-ular Demo- 
cratic nominee and A. N. Baker as reg^ister of deeds ag^ainst 
Jere Crowley. The votes for these two independent candid- 
ates, however, did not much exceed one hundred, althoug"h 
Baker's vote caused the election of Henry Baetz, the Repub- 
lican nominee for reg-ister of deeds. On the other hand the 
Democrats secured almost exclusive control of the county 
board, all but five of the members being- followers of the 
party. In 1858 Cato, Gibson and Liberty, the last first 
known as Buchanan, were created and given representation 
in the board, the first chairmen of the towns being- Alanson 
Hickok, Jason Pellett and Ole Oleson. Finally in 1860 the 
town of Two Creeks, first called Rowley after an earlier set- 
tler, was set off it being- the last of the eig-hteen townships to 
come into existence. H. Luebke was its first supervisor. In 
that year also the county board authorized the building- of a 
brick structure for the county offices, as an annex to the court- 
house. B. Jones secured the contract for ^5000 and the 
building was erected on the southeast corner of the square. 
The year lSf)0 witnessed more factional strife and bitter con- 
tests in county politics, the campaig-n being- perhaps the most 
virulent in Manitowoc's history. At the Democratic convention 
the trouble first began to show itself, larg-ely from the fact 
that some, among them Editor Crowley of the Pilot, openly 
asserted that the gathering was in the hands of the Brecken- 
ridg-e followers and that they were trading with the Republi- 
cans. Judg-e Pierpont, as leader of the Breckenridg-e support- 
ers, presided over the convention and Renter, the reg-ular 
nominee of the party for treasurer, was also of that faction. 
The result was that the bolters placed M. Kuhl in nomina- 
tion for the position of county treasurer as opposed to Renter 
and P. Hog-an to oppose Alanson Hickok, the reg-ular nom- 



160 

inee for county clerk. Thus handicapped the Democrats 
went into the struggle against the Republicans and the re- 
sult was a defeat in the case of ever}' nominee by majorities 
ranging from two to seven hundred. Candidate Kuhl devel- 
oped a remarkable strength, considering that he was an in- 
dependent nominee, receiving 786 votes while Reuter received 
1260 and his victorious Republican opponent, O. Koch 1907. 
S. A. Wood, the Democratic candidate for district attorney 
was about the only one on the ticket that secured anywhere 
near the regular party strength. The war then beginning 
led to many changes in local politics. The Breckenridge 
and Douglas Democrats drew together gradually and this 
fact, allied to that of the opposition of "H. S. Pierpont to har- 
bor taxes led to his election to the office of county judge in the 
spring of 1861, In the meanwhile the Union Democrats, in- 
cluding such men as Henry Sibree, Lyman Emerson and oth- 
ers joined the Republicans on all issues and gradually became 
an integral part of the party. In the fall of that year Con- 
rad Bates was pat forward as the Union candidate for clerk 
of court but was defeated by Jere Crowley, his Democratic 
opponent by 192 votes. The first election of a county school 
superintendent also occurred at this time, B. J. Van Valken- 
burgh, the Democratic nominee defeating Fred Borcherdt, 
whom the Unionists supported. 

By this time another change had been made in the sys- 
tem of county government in the state. By act of March 28, 
1861 the county boards were made to consist of three super- 
visors, one elected from each assembly district, while the 
chairmen of the towns retained only such functions as per- 
tained to the ec ualization of taxes. Under this law the first 
board was elected in Manitowoc in November. In the first 
district John Carey, Democrat defeated F. R. Gutheil, Union. 
In the second district Lyman Emerson was chosen unani- 
mously while in the third Nels Sorenson, Democrat defeated 
S. A. Wood, Union. The board met in the spring of 1862 
and elected Mr. Emerson president but soon both he and Su- 
pervisor Sorenson resigned, necessitating the calling of a 
special election, which resulted in the choice of Alanson 



161 

Hickok in the second and Jason Pellett in the third district, 
both being- Democrats. J. O'Hearn succeeded Hickok in 
November 1863 and as thus constituted the board continued 
to exist until 1866. The. campaigfn of 1862 was somewhat of 
a complicated one. Men that had recently chang-ed political 
allegiance were placed on tickets in strang-e companionship 
and the result was a remarkable diverg-ence in the number of 
votes received by the candidates for different offices. There 
was no open bolting-, however, and the Democrats elected all 
their officers except the county treasurer for which position 
Oscar Koch defeated H. S. Pierpont by a narrow majority. 
As the war proceeded the Democratic party continued to g-row 
stronger in the county, only the towns of Manitowoc, Kos- 
suth, Gibson, Liberty, Eaton and Rockland g-iving- majorities 
for the Republican ticket in 1862, of which three, Kossuth, 
Gibson and Liberty, went over to the opponents a year later. 
During the war a number of tesig-nations occurred among- the 
county officers due to enlistments for military service, among- 
the number being- Sheriff Murphy, Superintendent of Schools 
Van Valkenburg-h, County Judg-e Walker and Reg-ister of 
Deeds Baetz. 

In 1863, 1864 and 1865 the Democratic county tickets 
were entirely successful by large majorities, due partially to 
the fact that many of the Republican candidates were former 
Democrats. In the fall of 1865 a new county board was chos- 
en consisting- of F. Schmitz, B. S. Lorrig-an and G. Damler, 
who administered affairs ably. After the war had closed the 
Republicans regained considerable strength and in the fall of 
1866 succeeded in electing- Henry Baetz as county treasurer, 
besides making a very respectable showing- in the contest for 
the other offices. The following- fall according- to an amend- 
ment of the county supervisor law a supervisor at larg-e from 
the county as a whole was chosen to sit in the county board, 
the Democratic candidate, J. S. Eg-g-ers, carrying- the election 
by seven hundred majority over C. W. White. Messrs. Gal- 
logly, Mohr and Koehnke were also added to that body from 
the first, second and third districts respectively hy virtue of 
another amendment to the law, which increased its total 



162 

membership to seven, this action being- taken for fear that 
dictatorship might be the' result of too close a corporation. 
The board thus constituted remained in office until 1870 when 
a return to the system, whereby each township was repre- 
sented by a supervisor, was made. 

The county election of 1868 was another close contest. 
The Republicans developed considerable streng-th, reelecting- 
Henry Baetz.as treasurer and putting in of&ce P. P. Fuessen- 
ich as county clerk and Fayette Armsby as surveyor while 
the Democrats elected the rest of the ticket. In the spring 
of that year Judge Taylor, the Democratic candidate for the 
circuit bench had also been defeated by Campbell McLain. 
On the other hand W. W. Waldo was chosen county judge by 
2500 majority over H. Sibree, the Republican candidate, in 
the judicial election of 1869 while Democratic successes in 
the fall also presaged a change. The campaign of 1870 was 
nevertheless a very bitter one. This time both the Demo- 
cratic and Republican camps suffered defections in the form 
of a third or People's party movement. I'his faction placed 
Ira P. Smith in nomination for sheriff, A. Chloupek for 
treasurer, J. Garry for register of deeds, G. A. Woodin for 
district attorney and J. Oswald for coroner, endorsing J. 
Thombs, the Democratic nominee for county clerk. The re- 
sult of the election was unsatisfactory to all, the division of 
offices being about even. Quirin Ewen, P. P. Fussenich and 
F. Armsby, Republican nominees for treasurer, county clerk 
and surveyor were successful while from among the Demo- 
crats John Franz, A. Wittenberg, E. B. Treat and F. Simon 
secured the positions of register of deeds, sheriff, district 
attorney and coroner. Then came the Fuessenich scandal, 
the o:dy deep blot on the history of Manitowoc politics, 
which had an injurious effect on Republican success for many 
years as well as casting a shadow on several leading Demo- 
cratic politicians. Rumors that P. P. Fuessenich, the county 
clerk had not been using honest methods in the discharge of 
his duties led to an investigation early in 1871 and it was re- 
vealed by a*committee of the county board, appointed to in- 
vestigate the matter, that for six 3'ears a system of illegal 



163 

appropriation of public funds had been going- on. It was 
proved that over $20,000 of the county money had thus been 
squandered and it came to lig"ht that Fuessenich, the chief 
offender had made away with other sums besides. Before 
hearing- the testimony the clerk handed in his resig-nation 
and fled the country, nothing- further ever being- heard from 
him. The matter created much excitement at the time and 
led to the institution of many reforms in the a Iministration 
of public business. 

Fuessenich's resig-nation made a special election neces- 
sary in the fall of 1871, Gilbert Burnet being- chosen by 63 
majority over H. S. Pierpont, the former being- a Republican. 
Considerable trouble was experienced over the refusal of the 
county board of canvassers, through some irreg-ularity, to 
count the returns from Cato and Pierpont was at first de- 
clared elected. On quo warranto proceeding's, however, the 
vote of the town was admitted and Mr. Burnet seated. De- 
spite the effects of the Fuessenich scandal the contest in the 
fall of 1872 was most intense and the result was another divi- 
sion of offices. The People's party of the county held a con- 
vention, H. S. Pierpont being- the leading- spirit but no nomi- 
nations were made. P. J. Pierce was announced as an inde- 
pendent candidate for sheriff but later withdrew. R. D. 
Smart, the Republican candidate for that office ran several 
hundred ahead of his ticket and was elected over Edward 
Conway. A. M. Richter, another Republican, was chosen 
county clerk and the vote for treasurer resulted in a tie be- 
tween Quirin Ewen, Republican and A. Wittenberg, Demo- 
crat, each receiving 2458 votes. The rest of the offices went 
to the Democrats. The tie in the case of treasurer made a 
special election necessary and one was accordingly held in 
December in which Mr. Ewen defeated his opponent by 101 
votes. On the other hand the Democratic majority in 1873 
increased to over 2000 on the vote for clerk of court and in 
1874 their ticket was successful with the exception of county 
treasurer, to which position Quirin Ewen was again elected, 
this time by 256 majority over G. Damler. Ewen, however, 
died before his terra expired and his opponent was chosen by 



164 

the county board to fill the vacancy. From this time on un- 
til 1882 only three Republicans were succeessful in securing- 
county office, the Democratic majorities being" in the neighbor- 
hood of one thousand and in some cases, as in the election of 
county judge in 1877, there being no opposition. The first 
of these three exceptions was Prof. G. F. Viebahn, who in 
1879 was chosen school superintendent over John Hussey by 
a majority of 561. The second was R. D. Smart, who owing 
to his personal popularit}^ and disaffection in the Democratic 
ranks defeated J. P. Wickert for countv judge in the spring 
of 1881 by 870 votes. The third was John Bibinger, who in 
1882 was elected sheriff over W. Wieboldt. A year before 
Judge Norman Gilson had been chosen circuit judge over 
Campbell McLain, his Republican opponent, by a majority of 
3102, one of the largest ever given in the county for an}^ can- 
didate. In 1882 the Prohibitionist put up a count}' ticket 
but did not develop essential strength. At this time the odd 
year elections for count}' superintendent and clerk of court 
ceased and thus political energies could be more centralized. 
Early in the eighties many Manitowoc county men, not- 
ably William Rahr, urged the building of a county asylum 
for the care of the insane and at a meeting of the county 
board in May 1884 $25,000 was voted for that purpose. A 
three story brick structure was built on spacious grounds 
southwest of Manitowoc and the institution was opened 
in January 1885 with Gustav Mueller as superintendent. 
The asylum has since been managed by trustees and has 
proved most successful, many patients from other counties as 
well as the local insane being cared for. A county jail was 
erected in the early nineties and the old courthouse remodeled, 
the county office annex being removed. The latter part of 
the decade 1880-1890 saw as few Republicans in office in the 
county as had the earlier years of it. County Judge C. H. 
Schmidt, who had defeated Judge Smart in 1885 died in 18.>8 
and Emil Baensch, a Republican was chosen to fill the va- 
cancy. A year later, his term having expired, he defeated 
Hubert Falge by 1253 votes, the most decisive Republican 
victory for sometime. Democratic landslides occured in 1890 



165 

and 1892 but by 1894 the beg-inning- of another change in 
count)^ politics came about and the years of exclusive Demo- 
cratic rule were brought to an end. In that year the Popu- 
lists put up a county ticket, which secured about three hun- 
dred votes, forming no inconsiderable element as the first 
third party movement in the county since the Prohibition 
ticket of 1882 with the exception of a few local candidates on 
the Labor ticket in 1888. The Democrats secured every of- 
fice with the exception of sheriff, to which Henry Schmidt 
was elected over Daniel Tracy. Then came the campaign of 
1896, resulting in a victory for all of the Republican nomi- 
nees except the county clerk. In 1898 a reaction took 
place, the Republicans securing only the county treasurership, 
10 which Peter Kaufman was elected, but in 1900 the party 
again gained ground, electing the sheriff, county clerk, dis- 
trict attorne}^, treasurer and surveyor while the Democrats 
secured the register of deeds, coroner and clerk of court, the 
count}' superintendent being chosen on a non-partisan basis. 
Owing toan error in the returns from the fourth ward of the 
city of Manitowoc E. S. Schmitz, the Democratic nominee 
for district attorney, was seated by the board of canvassers 
but after continuing in office for two months and after some 
litigation had been commenced a compromise was effected, 
whereby the Republican candidate, A. L. Hougen, took the 
position. A municipal court was established in the county 
in 1895 and both this and the probate court were for some 
time governed by non-partisan principles, owing to ihe bal- 
ance existing between the two parties in the county but in 
1901 the matter was again taken into politics, a Republican, 
A. P. Schenian being chosen municipal judge and a Demo- 
crat, John Chloupek becoming judg-e of the probate court. 
Michael Kirwan of Manitowoc succeeded Judge Gilson on the 
circuit bench in 1899, defeating Attorney Prescott of Sheboy- 
gan by a swee; ing majority. 

The election held in the fall of 1902 again witnessed an 
almost equal division of the spoils, the Democrats succeeding 
in electing the sheriff, register of deeds, clerk of court and 
coroner, while the Republicans chose the county clerk, treas- 



166 

urer, district attorney and surveyor, while for county school 
superintendent Fred Christiansen received support from both 
parties. The Social Democrats put a full county ticket in the 
field and made a very considerable showing-. 

Thus in summarizing- it will be noted that the Democrats, 
with few exceptions, ha,ve been victorious in county politics. 
And yet the divisions that have occurred in the apportionment 
of the offices within the gift of the people show very clearly 
that the true t^st that has been applied was the man and not 
the party. Factional strife that was,so bitter in earlier days, 
leading- to scurrilous abuse and insult through the columns of 
the public press has largely ceased of late years. On the 
whole the study of the political complexion of the county in 
its varying chang-es is an interesting one and the record of the 
public officials has been with some few exceptions fairly g-ood. 
Particularly might this be said of the members^of the county 
boards, who, it may well be admitted, have been representa- 
tives in the best sense of the word. A list of the various offi- 
cials of the county, the mrmbers of the county board and the 
chairmen of that body will be found in Appendix C. 



CHAPTER X. 



VILLAGE AND CITY GOVERNMENT. 



Manitowoc county contains two cities, Manitowoc and 
Two Rivers and two villag-es, Reedsville and Kiel, that have 
been incorporated under the state laws, the former under spe- 
cial statutes and the villagfes in accordance with general laws. 
Both Manitowoc and Two Rivers had twenty years of villag"e 
existence before entering' upon a civic life. It is the purpose 
of this chapter to study the political and administrative his- 
tory of each of them. 

Manitowoc. 

The village of Manitowoc was an integral part of the 
township of the same name and indistinguishable from it un- 
til March 6, 1851 on which date a law was signed which 
authorized its incorporation. Even earlier this step had been 
proposed as the township, because of the fact that there was 
no other legal entity, wa? obliged to do much improvement 
outside of the scope of a rural community. Thus the travel 
across the Manitowoc river became so important that in 1848 
it became necessary to supersede the primitive ferry by a 
bridge. In this first bridge, which was an inexpensive struc- 
ture, there was no draw since at the time there was no neces- 
sity for one. At this time the business portion of Manitowoc 
was almost entirely on the north side and as many families 
iresided on the opposite side a ready mep,nsQf conjrnunication 



168 

was very necessary. The charter provided that the villag-e 
should be divided into two wards, that portion south of the 
river to be known as the first and that on the north side as 
the second. A president, marshal and treasurer for the whole 
village and three trustees and one assessor from each ward 
were to be chosen the first Tuesday of each April. The town 
supervisors were to appoint a polling- place for the first elec- 
tion and all who were qualified voters of the town within the 
limits defined were g-iven the suffrag^e. The president's dut- 
ies were enumerated, including- the keeping- of the seal, sig-n- 
ing- licenses, justice of the peace powers and casting- votes in 
case of a tie in the villag-e board. General ordinance powers 
were conferred upon the board and it was annually to appoint 
a clerk, street commissioners in both wards, four fire wardens, 
a sealer of weig-hts and measures, sexton, harbormaster and 
chief eng-ineer of the fire department. 

The first election was soon held, Georg-e Reed being- 
chosen president, Gustavus Richter treasurer and A. Witt- 
mann marshal. On May 12th the first meeting- of the villag-e 
trustees was held, the chairman of the county board adminis- 
tering- the oath. The membership of this first board con- 
sisted of C. Hottelmann, J. F. Zinns and Evander M. Soper 
of the first and M. Fellows, J. Bennett and Jarvis E. Piatt of 
the second ward. At the first session a map of the villag-e 
was ordered to be made, by-laws were drafted and S. A. Wood 
was chosen clerk. The work of the board for the first few 
3'ears was larg-ely along- pioneer lines. A cemetery had early 
been established at what is now the corner of North Eig-hth 
and Park streets, but this being- too near the center of popu- 
lation a movement for a new one was early on foot, under the 
name of the Everg-reen Cemetery Association. It was incor- 
porated in 1856 and its rigfhts the villagfe boug-ht out some 
years later. The g-round purchased overlooked the Manito- 
woc river and has since been used for burial purposes. The 
g-rading- of streets was another problem pressing- for solution 
from the first and work was immediately begun, the hill on 
North Eighth street being- removed in 1854 and other thoroug-h- 
fares being- opened later, althoug-h business for some timg 



169 

was centered on York and Commercial streets, which were 
laid out much wider than any of the others. 

Georg-e Reed was succeeded as village president by James 
Bennett in 1852 and the latter was reelected a year later. 
During- his term authorization was received for the draining 
of extensive marshes east of South Ninth and north of Jay 
streets and much improvement took place. Fire companies 
made up of volunteer bands of male residents were organized 
and, although at frst there was little apparatus, nevertheless 
the needs of the day were met. A public square was laid out 
between North Seventh, Park and North Sixth streets, later 
christened Union Park, the ladies of the city raising enoug-h 
money in 1852 to fence it in. A few years later Washington 
Park was set off on the south side, surrounded by Eleventh, 
Washington, Marshal and Twelfth streets. Mr. Bennett 
was succeeded by William Bach, a Democrat of considerable 
popularity. He in turn, after a year of service, gave way to 
Charles Esslinger in 1855, who remained in office two years. 
As the treasurer of the Manitowoc & Mississippi at the time 
he received a hearty support from men of all parties although 
the elections were contested in the early days, as later, ac- 
cording- to national party lines. A public meeting was held in 
December 1856 to ask for incorporation as a city but little 
came of the movement and the panic of the next year, coupled 
with the failure of the railroad plans to materialize, put a 
damper on municipal hopes. Up to March 1857 four amend- 
ments had been made to the village charter. The first and 
second, in 1852 and 1853, changed minor clauses in the orig-i- 
nal document, the third in 1856 altered the boundaries and 
the fourth in 1857 provided that each ward should elect a 
representative to the county board. In the last named year 
James Bennett was again elected president, this time on the 
Republican ticket. The year witnessed much dissatisfaction 
as to the proportion of taxes the village was obliged to pay 
under the equalization made by the county board and an in- 
junction was secured against paying over the funds but it 
was dissolved later. It was during Bennett's term also that 
the village purchased two new hand fire engines at a cost of 



170 

$5000 and an eng-ine house was constructed on the north side. 
The Badger Engine compan}^ was formed to man the appara- 
tus, purely voluntary in character, and in February, 1855 a 
bucket company was also organized with E. K. Rand as fore- 
man and C. Essling-er as first assistant. A complete plat of 
the villag-e was made by Fred Salomon in 1857 being- accepted 
by the villag-e trustees as official. 

President Bennett gave way in 1858 to Charles Esslinger. 
An amendment passed by the legislature in that year created 
the third ward, although it and the first were united for 
some years as far as representation in the county board was 
concerned. By another Amendment passed the next spring 
the board of the village was given increased powers over the 
highways. It was seen by this time that a better bridge 
across the river was a necessity and on August 10 1859 a 
public meeting was called to consider the question. As a re- 
sult a new structure with a draw was thrown across the river 
on Eighth street, being opened to the public the following 
February. Bridges were authorized the same year by the 
legislature at Ninth and Commercial streets but they were 
not constructed, nor was that at the west end of York street, 
authorized two years later. The next president of the vil- 
lage after Mr. Esslinger was S. A. Wood, who was elected 
twice on the Democratic ticket. During his incumbency the 
fire companies, now two in number, reached a more complete 
organization, gaining a recognized place socially as well as 
in their field of usefulness. Their annual reviews and balls 
were among the events of the year and it was not an infre- 
quent occurrence for them to receive and pay visits to and 
from similar organizations in neighboring towns. The Bad- 
jrer company temporarily disbanded in 1861 but was succeeded 
in the second ward by the Clipper City Engine company, 
with Louis Kemper as foreman. 

In the spring of 18bl two village tickets were placed in 
the field, G. B. Collins representing the Republicans as can- 
didate for president and W. Rahr, Sr. the Democrats. Col- 
lins carried all three wards and was elected. He fulfilled his 
duties during the troublous times at the opening of the war 



in 

With great ability and was succeeded in 1862 by James Ben- 
nett, now for the fourth term president. New streets were 
graded rapidly at this time and an amendment to the charter 
was secured facilitating such action. At the next election 
Oscar Koch, the Republican candidate, succeeded in defeating" 
Joseph Vilas althoug-h the latter carried the second ward and 
in 1864 A. D. Jones was honored with the confidence c/f his 
townsmen, he also being- a Kepublican. The activity of the 
villag"e was consumed mainly at this time with the raising- 
of bounties and interest was centered in the war. A new 
fire company was organized in the second ward during- the 
year, known as the Union Engine Co. No. 1, Jonah Richards 
being- chosen foreman and among the members being- enr^^lled 
many of the most prominent villagers. In 1865 Joseph Vilas 
and O. Torrison were the opposing candidates for the village 
presidency, the former carrying- all three wards, owing- to his 
championship of the harbor projects then pending-. During- 
the last months of his term the charter of the villag-e was re- 
codified and passed by the state legislature. Few changes 
of importance were made, the principal features being- the 
making- of the marshal an appointive instead of an elective 
office and the addition of several powers to those already pos- 
sessed by the trustees, including- that over the improvement 
of parks and increased financial discretion. In the election 
of 1866 S. A. Wood, the Democratic candidate, was elected 
president, carr3ang all but the second ward, in which J. D. 
. Markham, his opponent, was successful. 

As the effects of the war disappeared village activity be- 
g-an to take on a more definite character. Great interest was 
manifested in the volunteer fire department which at this 
time had reached a high standard of efficiency. It consisted 
of Badg-er Engine company No. 2, stationed on the south side, 
of which F. Becker acted as foreman. Phoenix Hook & Lad- 
der company, G. Phillips, foreman and Protection Bucket 
company, A. Pfeffer foreman. This mode of enlisting- citi- 
zens in public service was a beneficent one and formed a re- 
markable feature of the times. An important chang-e was 
made by an amendment to the village charter passed in 



172 

March 1867 by which it was pfovided that the office of villag-e 
treasurer and marshal should be abolished, the town treasurer 
and constable filling- their places and the assessors were made 
appointive instead of elective. The latter change was per- 
manent but the former only temporary, the original provi- 
sions being- restored a year later. After a year's service Mr. 
Wood was defeated an.d therefore succeeded by Henry Baetz, 
the latter remaining in office two years, carrying the village 
in 1868 over William Bach by a large majority. The leg-isla- 
ture g-ranted the village a new charter in the spring of that 
year, which was much more complete than any previous one. 
Among- other thing-s it provided for the creation of the fourth 
ward out of territory formerly comprising- the western part of 
the second ward, for the annual election of a police justice, 
for the choice of a fire chief by the department itself and for 
the appointment by the trustees of a village attorney The 
powers of the board were also considerably, aug-mented, they 
being- given control of the harbor, succeeding the commission- 
ers, of whom mention is made elsewhere and being assigned 
the duty of acting as street commissioners in their respective 
wards. Among other provisions were the power to raise a 
tax for a bridge on Tenth street and to utilize one fourth of 
the time in the public schools in instruction in foreign lan- 
g-uages and the creation of a board of equalization, consisting- 
of the president, treasurer, clerk and assessor. Another 
amendment was passed a year later providing for the appoint- 
ment of one street commissioner per ward and also authoriz- 
ing- a vote to be taken on the question of consolidating the 
village into one school district and of erecting a central high 
school. An interesting- question came up in President Baetz's 
administration. An alley in block 262 was vacated by the 
trustees and it was sought to leg-alize the act by means of a 
special act from the legislature, which was accordingly 
granted. Governor Fairchild, however, vetoed the act after 
which the senate immediately passed the bill over his head 
by a vote of 22 to 3 and the assembl}' took similar action by a 
vote of 6b to 22. The next and last president of the village 
was Charles Luling-, a Republican. Even before this the 



173 

question of incorporatiori as a city had been ag"itated and as a 
result of efforts along- this line the leg-isjature on March 12, 
1870 finally g-ranted a charter. The document comprised 
forty-eig-ht pages in the statute book of that year and was 
quite complete. 

It provided for annual elections on the first Tuesday in 
April at which a mayor, treasurer, police justice and three 
aldermen, one justice of the peace and one constable for each 
ward were to be chosen by the voters. The board of alder- 
men was g-ivcn the power to appoint a clerk, marshal, police- 
men, harbormaster, assessor, bridge tenders, sexton, sealer of 
weig-hts and measures, fire chief, city attorney, surveyor, 
fire warden and one street commissioner per ward and at first 
the mayor had no veto power. The four wards remained as 
theretofore and four school districts were also authorized. 
Limits of taxation were fixed, that of the ward funds being- 
two per cent and the board of equalization was made to con- 
sist of the mayor, clerk, treasurer and assessor. Petitions 
for the laying- out and vacation of streets as well as for pub- 
lic park improvement were provided for and full powers over 
the harbor were defined. The first election under the charter 
occured as specified, the candidates for mayor being- Peter 
Johnston. Republican and C. H. Schmidt, Democrat. John- 
ston carried all four of the wards and thus became the first 
mag-istrate of the newly created municipality. Otto Troera- 
mel being chosen treasurer. Mayor Johnston was reelected 
in 1871 over John Franz, the latter carrying- only the third 
ward. With the beg-inning of city life came much activity. 
An iron bridg-e was beg-un over the river at Tenth street, 
which reached completion in October 1872, the total cost be- 
ing- $25,000. This structure was 450 by 31 feet and was the 
first iron bridge in the county. Considerable improvement 
at the cemetery was also accomplished, efforts made at drain- 
age on the south side, notably near Sherman's Creek and a 
new steam fire engine, the Manitowoc, purchased in 1872, 
after which public cisterns were placed at convenient places 
throughout the city. Loans were necessary to carry out 
these improvements and legislative authority to borrow was 



174 

easily secured. By an attiendmetit to the charter the city 
■Was divided into four districts for street purposes, eadh under 
the charge of a commissioner, appointed by the board and by 
another adopted in 1873 methods of fixing- salaries were pro- 
vided- and the power of maintaining a dredg-e gfiven to the 
municipality. River improvement and the fixing- of dock 
lines played an important part in city affairs at the time as is 
elsewhere pointed out. 

In 1872 Charles Luling- defeated S. A. Wood for mayor 
by 508 majority and was succeeded a year later by another 
Republican, A. D. Jones, who was reelected in 1874 by 412 
majority over Georg-e Pankratz, in 1875 by 267 majority over 
John Franz, in 1876 unanimously and in 1877 by 80 majority 
over E. K. Rand. During- Mayor Jones' administration the 
work of public improvement continued. A new bridge was 
constructed at Eighth street at a cost of $27,000, another 
steam lire engine, the A. D. Jones, added to the department, 
being- stationed on the north side and new eng-ine houses were 
provided. The department was reorg-anized on a more mod- 
ern basis with Fred Seeger as chief eng-ineer, consisting- of 
Steam Engine Company No. 1, Steam Engine Company No. 
2, Badger Engine Company No. 3, Torrent Engine Company 
No. 2 and Protection Bucket company. Within a few years, 
however, the old volunteer organizations, the Torrent, Bad- 
ger and Protection companies disbanded. Some changes in 
government were made by an amendment to the charter in 
1875, the police justice being made appointive from among 
the justices of the peace and powers over street lighting and 
the regulation of railways being granted to the council. 
Two years later the legislature also changed the provision in 
regard to constituency of the board of equalization, one alder- 
man from each ward being added. Complaint was again 
loud at about this time as before in the fifties as to the in- 
justice with which the city was taxed by the county board. 

The city election of 1878 was very close, John Schuette, 
a Republican defeating Adolph Piening, the Democratic 
nominee, by 36 majority. This marked the beginning of Mr. 
Schuette's six years at the helm of city affairs for he succes- 




JUDGE H. S. PIERPONT 



1?5 

sively defeated Edward Conway, Henry Mulholland and Georg-e 
Pankratz, besides being- unanimously chosen in 1881. His 
administration was marked by great advances, particularly 
in street improvement, drainag-e, fire department affairs and 
harbor improvement. The city charter was completely re- 
vised by C. E. Estabrook in 1879 and, as amended, was passed 
by the leg"islature. By this charter a city physician was 
added to the list of appointive officers, the office of police 
justice was abolished, the policemen took the place of the fire 
wardens, salary limits were fixed and the veto power g-iven 
the mayor. In 1882 an amendment was passed in reg"ard to 
the public g-rounds, streets and sidewalks, the council's pow- 
ers in these reg^ards being- consideraoly aug-mented. Later 
in Mayor Schuette's term the question of instituting- a sys- 
tem of waterworks was much ag-itated and a public meeting- 
called to discuss the proposition but so much opposition was 
manifested that the project was dropped temporarily. In the 
spring- of 1884 Georg-e Pankratz, the Democratic nominee for 
mayor defeated Mayor Schuette by 156 votes, carrying- all but 
the first ward and a year later he defeated R. D. Smart by 
127 majority. His successor was also a Democrat, Reinhardt 
Rahr, the young-est of Manitowoc's ma3^ors, who defeated F. 
Sixta by 328 majority. The principal issue during- his ad- 
ministration, which was an able one, was the waterworks 
question. In 1886 eastern capitalists appeared and at a pub- 
lic meeting- held on October 18tli it was decided to put the 
matter of g-ranting- a franchise to a popular vote, which was 
according-ly done on June 11th of the next year. By this time 
Thomas Torrison was mayor, having- been elected by a ma- 
jority of 141 votes over Reinhardt Rahr. The city divided 
on the waterworks question as follows: — 

Wards For Ag-ainst 

First 248 24 

Second 56 31 

Third 283 52 

Fourth 136 49 

Total 713 156 



176 

With this popular endorsement the franchise was g-ranted 
and the Manitowoc Waterworks Company formed by the pro- 
moters, the system being installed during- the succeeding- two 
years. The pumphouse was constructed on the lake front 
near the south city limits, cribs and filters sunk out 
in Lake Michigan and a steel reservoir erected on North 
Water street. From time to time the system has been en- 
larg-ed as patronage and public needs made extension neces- 
sary. Mayor Torrison was reelected in 1888 without opposi- 
tion and continued his work in the advancement of the city's 
interests. Efforts were made to get a government building 
during- his term and although unsuccessful, led to increased 
postal facilities. Saloon licenses were raised in amount to 
$200 at about this time but notwithstanding- this fact for 
many years the city led all in the state as to the number of 
these institutions in proportion to population. It was decided 
. that the city should be lighted by electricity and in February 
1889 bids were received for that purpose. John Schuette was 
given the franchise and within a few months had a first class 
incandescent system in operation. The new waterworks S3's- 
tem also led to a reorganization of the fire department and 
this was accomplished under the administration of Fred 
Schuette, who was elected in 1889 and again in 1890 and 1891 
without opposition The old steam fire engines were retired 
to reserve duty and a brick fire station was erected on Frank- 
lin street, a small sub-station containing a hose cart being 
placed on the north side. A system of electric fire alarms 
was also instituted and the entire department changed from 
a volunteer to a partly paid service. By legislative authoriz- 
ation a sewage system was put in, which was extended from 
year to year as necessity arose. A new charter was granted 
the city by the legislature in 1891 under which, with the ex- 
ception of certain portions of the general law the council has 
adopted, it has since operated. Aldermen were reduced 
to two per ward by this act and the elections for cit}' officers 
were made biennial. Considerable appointive power, includ- 
ing that over the chief of police, surveyor and attorney, was 
conferred upon the mayor and a board of public w^orks was 



17? 

also irlstitutedj consistiflg" of the clerk, engfineer and attorney. 
Paving-j park improvement and bridge construction were pro- 
vided for and other minor chang-es were designated. The 
limits of the city were extended also, the board soon creating 
the fifth and sixth wards, the former being the .western por- 
tion of the third and the latter the western portion of the 
fourth ward. In the same year the legislature authorized 
the city to borrow S30,000 for the building of a new iron 
bridge across the river at Eighth street and accordingly the 
work was entered upon, the contract being let to the Wiscon- 
sin Bridge Company. The bridge at Tenth street was also 
rebuilt soon after. In 1893 the seventh ward was set off, 
consisting of that territory embraced in the extreme south- 
west portion of the city. 

The election of 1893 witnessed a partisan contest for mayor 
Joseph Vilas representing the Democrats and Joseph Willott, 
Jr., the Republicans, The former was elected by 451 majority, 
carrying all but the second ward. City progress was largely 
retarded b}' the effect of the bank failures and the general 
panic during the years of his administration but towards the 
end the Wisconsin Central projects awakened a new interest 
in the future. Municipal ownership of lighting and water- 
works was much discussed at the time, although no results 
followed in the way of a general public movement. Mayor 
Vilas was defeated by Thomas Torrison in 1895 by a major- 
ity of 424, the latter carrying every ward but the seventh. 
He was reelected two years later without opposition. During 
his term of office the city was particularly active in harbor 
improvements, the river being dredged at the expense of 
many thousands and extensive docking projects being carried 
out, of which mention is elsewhere made in these pages. 
Other improvements also went on apace. In 1899 the Demo- 
crats placed William Rahr in nomination for the mayoralty 
and he defeated George Burger, the Republican candidate, by 
790 majority. Two years later Mr. Rahr was renominated, 
this time by the Republicans and defeated Henrj^ Mulholland, 
his Democratic adversary, by 841 majority. His administra- 
tion was one of remarkable vigor and was marked by great 



178 

advancement. Among- the improvements instituted were the 
reorg-anization of the police department, the installation of 
the police telegraph system, the placing of arc lights on the 
main streets, the renovation of the city parks, the paving of 
Kighth and Commercial streets with vitrified brick at a cost 
of nearly $40,000, the building- of an engine house on North 
Eig-hth street at a cost of $10,000, the granting of street car 
and gas franchises and the opening of a public library. The 
question of building a new city hall was ag-itated but it was 
not thought advisable to go to that expense, althoug-h the 
rooms used for the city offices were thoroughly remodeled. 
Harbor improvements were also continued and additions made 
to Everg-reen cemetery. On the whole the watchword of the 
city in recent years has been progress. In the spring- election 
of 1903 Dr. W. G. Kemper, a Democrat was by a compromise 
agreement, unanimously chosen as mayor while the Repub- 
licans secured the city treasurership, the former incumbent, 
John Mahnke being reelected. Chief among the projects of 
moment engrossing the opening- of his term were the build- 
ing of the $25,000 Carnegie Library. A list of city officials 
of both Manitowoc and Two Rivers will be found in Appen- 
dix D. 

TWO RIVERS. 

The village of Two Rivers was set off from the town of 
the same name and a charter g-ranted to it on March 31 
1858. It was divided into two wards, Washington street be- 
ing the line of demarkation and the first Tuesday in May 
was fixed as the annual election da}-. The elective officers in- 
cluded a president, marshal, treasurer and three supervisors 
and one assessor per ward, while the clerk, harbormaster and 
minor officers were made appointive. According to the char- 
ter the first election was held in May 1858 and H. C. Hamil- 
ton, a Democrat was chosen president. He was succeeded by 
H. S. Pierpont in 1859, Edward Mueller in I860, J. B. Burns 
in 1861, David Smoke in 1862 and then by John Oswald, who 
served as president three years. During this time the village 
was progressing rapidly. In 1862 the legislature authorized 



179 

bridges on the East Twin at Main street and over the West 
Twin at Washing-ton, Jefferson and Monroe streets. This 
act was repealed two years later and the village trustees giv- 
en all authority over bridges, an authority which they soon 
acted upon, for the only bridge then in existence was that on 
Washington street erected by the county in 1849. Structures 
at a cost of $3600 were built at Washington and Walnut 
streets in 1865, J. Mann being the contractor. Street im- 
provement was also pushed and adequate means of fire pro- 
tection devised. Joseph Mann was elected president in 1866, 
after whom E. Mueller served another term, John Oswald two 
terms, Andrew Baetz one and J. M. Conine one. Then in 
1872 B. F. Richter was honored, after whom Mr. Conine was 
again elected for two terms, serving until 1875. 

In December 1868 the Two Rivers Excelsior Engine com- 
pany was organized with H. Smith as foreman and also the 
Dexter Hook & Ladder Co. with George Burnell as foreman. 
A fireman's tournament was held in the village a year later 
and these organizations were very active factors for several 
years. In 1871, however, a steam fire engine was purchased 
and the department reorganized, a new fire station being 
erected in 1874 at a cost of $5000, the building also being 
used as a town hall. Several amendments to the charter 
were made during these years, one in 1868 in regard to the 
duties of the clerk and treasurer, one in 1870 containing mi- 
nor provisions and one in 1871, changing the election day to 
the first Tuesday in April. Louis Zander became village 
president in 1875, then J. M. Conine served another term and 
he in turn was succeeded by B. F. Richter in 1877. A move- 
ment was then on foot looking towards the securing of a city 
charter and efforts in that direction were rewarded by the 
legislature in the grant of such a document on March 18 
1878. By this charter three wards were created, Jefferson 
street being the dividing line between the first and the sec- 
ond and the third consisting of that portion of the city west 
and south of the West Twin. Annual elections were to be 
held on the first Tuesday in April at which a mayor, assessor, 
treasurer and two aldermen, one constable and one justice of 



180 

the peace for each ward were to be elected. Each ward was 
g-iven representation in the couniy board, this being- a change 
from the system that had prevailed since 1870, by which the 
village as a whole was given but one representative in that 
body. The mayor was g-iven no veto power but could cast a 
vote in case of a tie. The council was given the power of ap- 
pointing a clerk, marshal, harbor master and other minor 
officers and also possessed the usual powers given to similar 
bodies. The city was constituted as one school district and 
one school commissioner was appointed by the council to re- 
present each ward in matters pertaining to education. The 
first election held under the charter resulted in the choice of 
M. Maloy as mayor and E. Hammel as treasurer and the coun- 
cil was constituted as follows: — F'irst Ward, U. Niquette and 
H. Lohman; Second Ward, R. E. Mueller and Joseph Schwab; 
Third Ward, Peter Stout and A. Wehausen. For many years 
the cit}' officers in Two Rivers were kept out of partisan 
strug-gle, each spring a general caucus of citizens determining- 
who should be the candidates and the election being merely a 
form of ratification. Mayor Maloy was reelected in 1879 and 
was succeeded a 3"ear later by W. F. Nash, Mr. Maloy being- 
ag-ain chosen in 1881. Next Andrew Baetz held the office for 
two years, his administration witnessing the construction of 
anew bridge on Washington street and other improvements. 
Considerable money was also spent at and before this time in 
dredging the harbor. Mayor Baetz wassucceeded by William 
Hurst for two years, who in turn gave way to B. H. Wilkens, 
who served four terms or until 1890, when B. F. Richter was 
chosen for a year. In 1891 two tickets were placed in the 
field, L. C. Traverse being the candidate of the Union Party 
and R. E. Mueller of the Democrats. The latter was elected, 
carrying all but the third ward. In this year the charter 
was wholly revised. Among the changes made were the cre- 
ation of' the offices of police justice, surveyor and school com- 
missioners, five in number, the latter to be elected by the peo- 
ple and to hold office for three years, and the institution of a 
board of review, consisting of the ma3'or, assessor, clerk, and 
one alderman from each ward, whose duty it should be tq 



181 

equalize the citj' tax roll. Added powers were also given to 
the ccuncil in the way of maintaining- parks and soon after 
improvements were made on the public square. 

Mayor Mueller was reelected in 1892 and was succeeded 
by J. E. Hamilton, who held the office two terms and in turn 
gave way to William Luebke. During Mayor Hamilton's 
administration an election was held to decide upon the ques- 
tion of voting $17,000 for a new bridge at Walnut street and 
for harbor improvements. The project was carried by a vote 
of 241 to 132 and the bridge was built the next ye?ir at a cost 
of $14,000. The Populist party gained considerable strength 
in Two Rivers during the early nineties and in 1896 they 
placed a ticket in the field for the municipal offices. The 
campaign was an enthusiastic one and the new party suc- 
ceeded in electing its candidate for mayor, Louis Zander, be- 
sides placing in office a majority of the councilmen. In 1897 
Peter Gagnon was selected as mayor and has served several 
years, being succeeded by Peter Schroeder. Two wards were 
added in 1897, making five in all. In 1900 a vote was taken 
upon the question of granting a franchise for a waterworks 
and electric lighting plant and the proposition was carried, 
but owing to delays on the part of contractors the systems 
were not installed until 1902. A street car franchise was also 
granted at the opening of the new century. On the whole 
the city has been well governed and progressive. 

REEDSVILLE. 

The village of Reedsville was incorporated under the 
general law on January 29 1892, having reached the required 
size to enable it to become a separate entity. The vote taken 
on the matter resulted in 86 for and 24 against the proposition. 
The village had been in existence since early days, having 
been named after George Reed but it did not grow until it 
was made a station on the M., L. S. & W. At the first elec- 
tion W. H. Noble was chosen president and August Schmelter 
treasurer and soon the village government was well started. 
The following gentlemen have officiated as village presir 
(Jents: — 



182 

1892-18'H W. H, Noble 

1894-189(> A. C. Maertz 

1896-1897 J. E. Schultz 

1897-1899 F. C. Stelling- 

1899 1901 F. C. Maertz 

1901-1903 F. F. Stelling-. 

1903 Dr. Louis Falg-e. 

KIEL. 

On June 15, 1892 the village of Kiel in the town of 
Schleswig- was incorporated and as such was g-iven represent- 
ation in the county board. Considerable public improvement 
has taken place and the locality has been served bj its best 
men in public offices. The following- is a list of the presi- 
dents of the villag-e since its organization: — 

1892-1893 Charles Heins 

1893-1895 Simon Hollensteiner 

1895-1897 William J. Guetzloe 

1897-1900 John Duecker 

1900-1901 Michael Wagner 

1901 H. J. Ammann. 

1902 J. B. Laun. 

1903 H. J. Ammann. 



CHAPTER XT 



CHURCHES. 



Church life is an essential feature in the growth of every 
communit}-. The stories of the strugfgles of a small but 
faithful congreg-ation in the earl}^ years of existence is al- 
ways interesting- and there is often an element of the heroic 
in it. Manitowoc county has a past in this respect that will 
bear comparison with any similarly situated community and 
the g-rowth of its spiritual interests has been from the beg"in- 
ning- marked and rapid. An attempt is made in the follow- 
ing- pag^es to describe the onward progress made by each de- 
nomination represented in the county. 

EPISCOPAL. 

As the oldest in point of continuous existence as an org-an- 
ized societ}' the history of St. James Episcopal Church first 
demands attention. The Episcopals were early in the mis- 
sionary field in Wisconsin and the efforts of Bishop Kemper 
will live in remembrance as long- as that of the record of the 
state itself. One of his ablest coadjutors Was Richard F. 
Cadle, who came to Wisconsin as missionary on the Oneida 
Reservation in 1834. In the latter thirties, probably in 1839, 
he visited the Rapids settlement and held what was the first 
Protestant service in the county. In his report submitted in 
February 1842 he speaks of a second visit as follows: "On 



184 

the evening- of Tuesday, December 7th (1841) I preached to a 
cong-regfation of about sixty persons in a private house at 
Manitowoc Rapids, the county sfeat of Manitowoc county and 
situated on a river of the same name, three miles from its 
mouth. At the settlement where I officiated the population 
amounts to about sixty persons and at the mouth of the river 
the population is represented to be about three fourths of 
that number. Previous to this visit there had been no relig-- 
ious services at Manitowoc Rapids for the period of about a 
year and a half." 

Kight years passed with an occasional visit by a mission- 
ary, among" them two or three by Rev. Melancthon Hoyt in 
1844. In February 1848 Bishop Kemper was making- a tour 
of the Wisconsin parishes under his charg-e, being- accompan- 
ied by a young- Swede, Reverend Gustavus Unonius, then a 
recent g-raduate and the first of Nashotah Seminary. Upon 
reaching Sheboyg-an two members of the church, residing- in 
Manitowoc arrived will the request that the bishop visit 
Manitowoc. This was impossible for him to do, so Reverend 
Unonius was despatched and held divine services. On the 
next day, February 28th, the resident members of the church 
met and organized a parish, naming it St. James Mission 
The meeting- took place at the home of Lemuel House, Col- 
onel T. A. H. Edwards, the lig-hthouse keeper and Alden 
Clark, a merchant, being chosen wardens. It was decided to 
call Reverend Unonius to the parish and he accepted, assum- 
ing- his duties on April 20th. At that time there were six 
families in the parish or twenty-seven communicants in all, 
including- Lemuel House, E. H. Ellis, Richard Steele, Alden 
Clark, S. H. Sherwood and Colonel Edwards and the averag-e 
cong-reg-ation numbered about forty or fifty souls. The meet- 
ings were held in the upper rooms of a house, the lower part 
of which was occupied by the pastor and his family. Rever- 
end Unonius remained in charg-e of the parish for a year, un- 
til April 1849, when he resigned and left for Chicag-o, where 
he org-anized a Swedish church. Born in Finland Aug-ust 
10, 1810 he came to America in 1845, g-oing- direct to Wis- 
consin and settling" at Pine -Lake. After several years of ser-; 



185 

vice at Chicag-o he returned to his native land in 1858 and 
was rev^rarded by a g-ift of 3000 kroner from the Swedish g"ov- 
ernment in recog^nition of services rendered his countrymen 
in America. He also held office in the customs service until 
1888 when he retired on a pension and is now (1902) living" 
on a farm near Stockholm, beloved by all. In 1862 he pub- 
lished in the Swedish lang^uage a book entitled "Reminis- 
censes, Seventy Years in the Northwest of America," which 
contains many interesting- references to Manitowoc. It was 
a noticeable fact that the Scandinavians who came to the 
county and settled near the Rapids in 1848 and 1849 at first 
united with the Episcopal church since the pastor was of 
their race, eight of the orig-inal parish being- Norweg-ians. 
As soon, however, as there were sufficient of them they sep- 
arated and established a church of their own, the Lutheran, 
denomination. During- Reverend Unonius' term four members 
were g-ained by immig-ration and six lost by death. By his 
resig-nation the church was left for some time without a rec- 
tor as was also the Sheboygan mission, which he had at- 
tended. Said Bishop Kemper in his report in 1850: "Rev- 
erend Unonius was in this county about a year ag-o and is 
remembered with much respect. When invited to a larger 
sphere of action and particularly among- his own countrymen 
I readily consented to his departure from Wisconsin, notwith- 
standing- that this diocese had peculiar claims upon his ser- 
vices. No one as yet succeeds him and yet Manitowoc and its 
neig^hborhood present a scene of much usefulness to a self- 
sacrificing- and laborious minister of the Gospel." 

During- the interim the Rapids communicants manag-ed 
to keep up occasional services and a reg-ular Sunday school 
but it was not until June 23 1851, the date of the appoint- 
ment of Reverend G. P. Shetk}^ that much interest was mani- 
fested. This clerg-yman was a ver}* devout young- man, fresh 
from his theological studies, being- ordained at Manitowoc. 
He was however full of ambition and his first aim was the 
building of a church. In the summer of 1851 he visited the 
east to secure contributions and in a year #1074 had been 
raised with pledges of $295 in addition. Plans were made by 



186 

Architect R. A. Gilpin of Philadelphia for an edifice that 
would seat two hundred and fift)' persons to cost about $1,500 
and a hflndred foot lot at the corner of North Ninth and 
Chicag"o streets was donated by Benjamin Jones. The corner- 
stone was laid, all being- in readiness, on November 24, 
1851, Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper, the missionary bishop offici- 
ating-. Several presents were made to the church by eastern 
friends, the communion service being- donated by acquaint- 
ances of Rev. Shetky residing- in Germantown, Pa., the cop- 
ies of liturg-y coming- from Philadelphia and the font from a 
g-entleman in Albany, N. Y. In the meanwhile meetings 
were held by the cong-regation in the schoolhouse, the aver- 
ag-e attendance being- about eighty and the communicants 
amounting to forty-three, while fift}^ children were in the 
Sunday school. Once in two weeks Reverend Shetky made 
trips to Two Rivers and held services at that village, the 
first taking place on October 19, 1851, attended b}' fifteen 
persons. The village of Rapids was visited at similar inter- 
vals, there being six communicants while Branch was the 
scene of monthly services. At a point fouiteen miles west 
from Manitowoc there were s^ven Irish communicants who 
met occasionall}^ to receive spiritual instruction from the 
minister, ten others usualh' attending, and there was a similar 
gathering occasionally in Meeme. In speaking of these vis- 
its later Reverend Shetky remarks in his report: "The im- 
possible condition of the roads at this season obliged me to 
discontinue these monthl}^ visits. I have no horse, — am too 
poor to keep one and am therefore obliged to perform all 
these journeys afoot." The strenuous life led by the young 
clergyman soon told upon his strength and, after a vacation, 
he returned only to resign April 1 1853. When he left a 
month or so later there were fifty-two communicants in his 
charge, twenty-eight of whom resided at Manitowoc. The 
church in the meantime had been completed, M. Fellows be- 
ing the contractor, and it was consecrated July 25 1852 on 
the occasion of the festival of St. James. Rev. Shetky at first 
moved to Memphis, Tenn., and later attained prominence as 
a pastor in South Bend, Ind., Bay City, Mich, and in Phila^ 
delphia. 




MANITOWOC RIVER BELOW CATO FALLS 



187 

Another short interim followed his resig-nation lasting" 
until the arrival of Rev. George W. Thompson, in Aug-ust 
1853, he coming- from Cincinnati to take up the work. At 
this time a mission was maintained at Robinson's settlement 
and the local church included thirty-three communicants. 
His ministr}', however, was short for in 1854, while nursing- 
cholera patients he fell ill of the dread disease and died on 
October 14th, his body being- interred at Everg-reen. After 
two months he was succeeded b}^ Rev. Melancthon Hoyt, who 
had been in Wisconsin as a missionar}^ since the early forties. 
A man of g-reat energy he soon had the church in a ver}' sat- 
isfactory condition and in the next year Bishop Kemper con- 
firmed a class of eleven at Manitowoc and four at Two Rivers. 
At the latter place there had been organized St. Paul's Con- 
g-reg-ation and the cornerstone of a church was laid on Sep- 
tember 3 1856. The first officers of the church were William 
Aldrich, senior warden; J. N. Fisher, junior warden; L. S. 
House, J. Teele and M. McDonald, vestrj-men and servi( es 
were held every Sunday afternoon. At Manitowoc the wor- 
shippers at St. James soon paid ofi the $500 debts still oulsiand- 
ing- and additions were made to their structure at a consider- 
able cost. During- Rev. Hoyt's ministr}' the communicants 
increased to forty-three and the Sunday school remained 
prosperous. In the latter part of 1858 he resigned, continu- 
ing- his labors in other fields for many years, finally removing- 
to Dakota Territory. In April 1859 Rev. AV. H. Cooper was 
sent to Manitowoc and remained until the following- March, 
when he removed to Waukeg-an, 111. He, also, officiated at 
Two Rivers, where the church had been completed, so as to 
seat three hundred persons, the last of the debt incurred in 
its construction being paid off some four years later. 

The next clergyman to officiate was Reverend G. B. Eng-le, 
who came from Michig-an in 1860. In his ministr}' services 
were held at Clark's Mills for some time. The great civil 
strife then broke out and Rev. Eng-le g-ave up his pastoral 
duties for a time to become chaplain in the Fourteenth Wis- 
consin, he being an ardent patriot. The war had a detri- 
mental effect on the church life and St. Paul's congreg-ation 



188 

at Two Rivers became so depleted that the church was sold 
on May 14 1864 to the German Lutherans. In that year 
also Manitowoc was taken off the mission list, it thereafter 
being- obliged to be totally self-supporting-. In order to econ- 
omize Rev. Engle, as he said in his report, sold his horse and 
discontinued his visits to Clark's Mills and soon after he re- 
sig-ned, moving to Indiana where he long- resided. His suc- 
cessor, who took charge in January 1865, Rev. Lyman N. 
Freeman, came from Illinois and was most energetic. There 
were in that year nine baptisms and the Sunday school was 
comprised of twentj-two teachers and one hundred and thirty 
seven scholars while there were three hundred persons in 
church connection. His ministry was injured, however, by 
certain charges made against his conduct, which were 
brought up before the standing committee at its meeting- at 
Janesville in November. Investigations by Revs. Kastmann 
and Davis followed, as a result of which Rev. Freeman was 
cited to appear before the court of the diocese in June. This 
ecclesiastical trial, unique in character took place in the 
courthouse, Rev. Ashley of Milwaukee acting as president^ 
there being- besides four other judges. The accused was ably 
defended but was found g-uilty and withdrew from the minis- 
try. He was followed by Rev. F. B. Dooley, formerly of the 
Michig-an diocese, whose efforts were of a high order. Dur- 
ing his incumbency a rectory was built, a parish school es- 
tablished with over fifty scholars, which was maintained for 
some years and the attendance at church larg^ely increased. 
Rev. Dooley returned to Michigan in January 1870 and after 
a month or so, in which Rev. Ward supplied the pulpit. Rev. 
E- Peake assumed charg-e, he however removing- to Missouri 
within a year. Several months passed without a pastor, 
when Rev. F. R. Haff of the Missouri diocese was appointed 
to Manitowoc. It was about this time that the church was 
called to mourn the loss of the venerable Bishop Kemper, 
whose relations with St. James had always been most amic- 
able. Reverend Haff removed to Green Bay in the spring- of 
1873 and has since held a leading place among- the Wisconsin 
clergy, officiating later at Trinity Church, Oshkosh. His 



189 

successor was Rev. De Poorest, who had that year been or- 
dained and for three years he continued his ministry at Man- 
itowoc. 

In 1874 St. James, which had hitherto been in the Mil- 
waukee diocese was transferred to the new Fond du Lac dio- 
cese. After Rev. De Forest's removal to Missouri the parish 
was placed under the g-uidance of Rev. M. E. Averill of Green 
Bay, who remained until 1881. The church and Sunday 
school membership had somewhat decreased during" the latter 
seventies but the church was fairly prosperous and a mission 
was maintained at Branch. After Rev. Averill's service at 
St. James was completed, Rev. H. C. E. Costelle, who came 
from Albany, N. Y. took up the work. He revived the Two 
Rivers mission and did much for the advancement of the 
church at Manitowoc as well. During- his ministry the 
Lydia E. Conroe bequest, comprising- several acres of land 
in Manitowoc Rapids, was sold. Rev. Costelle left for Arkan- 
sas in March 1883 and died several years later in Quincy, 111. 
Rev, H. T. Bray next assumed charge and remained until 
April 1886, being a man of fine scholarly attainments and an 
ardent worker. His successor was Rev. David Laserori, 
during whose pastorate of three years missions were sustained 
at Branch and Two Rivers. In December 1887 Rev. B. Tal- 
bot Rogers was appointed to St. James, By this time the 
parish numbered 250 souls and over 100 scholars were in the 
Sunday school. During the years of his ministry the number 
was vastly increased and the Two Rivers Mission was reor- 
ganized in 1901 with thirty members together with a Sunday 
school of about the same number. Recognized, however, as 
a man of great ability and attainments he was offered and 
accepted in 1894, the position of warden of Grafton Hall at 
Fond du Lac, where he lias since maintained a high reputa- 
tion as an educator. His successor was Rev. S. R. S. Gray, 
who came to St. James from the Milwaukee diocese on April 
21 1895 and has since officiated. It was his aim to see the 
congregation have a new church edifice and funds sufficient 
for the starting of the enterprise were forthcoming in 1901. 
A site was chosen on the corner of North Eighth and State 



190 

streets and the cornerstone of the new structure was laid on 
Augfust 14th, the services being- conducted by Rt. Rev. Wei" 
ler, bishop-coadjutor of the Fond du Lac diocese amidst ap- 
propriate and elaborate ceremonies. The structure is of 
stone and cost in the neighborhood of S35,000. St. James 
church is today as at the beginning- the only church of the 
denomination in the county and has an increasing member- 
ship. Several g-uilds made up of the ladies of the church are 
doing active work. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL. 

The early history of the Methodist Church in the west is 
one of struggle and in that struggle Manitowoc has played 
its part. Owing to a rule long prevailing in the denomina- 
tion thai a pastor should not remain in one situation more 
than two years there was not the opportunit}- for any one of 
•Lhe long list of resident ministers to identify himself with 
the community in any very large degree yet there are many 
of them whose memory will long be cherished. In 1837 Rev. 
Hiram W. Frink was appointed to a mission at Sheboygan 
which took in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties and the 
villages of Brothertown and Stockbridge. There is. how- 
ever, no record or probability that he ever formed any classes 
in the count}' and the mission was discontinued after the 
panic of 1837. In October 1843, however, Rev. David Lewis 
was assig-ned to the Manitowoc and Sheboygan mission and 
held services at the two places on alternate Sundays. He 
had two stations in Manitowoc, four in Sheboygan and two 
in Washington county. To reach these wideh' separated 
places Rev. Lewis was obliged to make long journeys on foot 
through the forest and often forded the Manitowoc river at 
Rapids when the feat was a dangerous one. A class of eleven 
members were formed at Manitowoc, among whom were P. 
P. Smith. The meetings were held in the upper story of B. 
Jones' warehouse in the summer while in the winter the con- 
g-reg-ation gathered at the home of Lighthouse Keeper John- 
ston, who was a Baptist. In July 1844 Rev. Lewis was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. Garret N. Hanson, an earnest young man, 




MAMITOWOC RIVER NEAR RAPIDS 



191 

just entering- upon the profession. After six years in Wis- 
consin he retired and died in 1856 at Fall River, Mass. In 
1845 he was followed at Manitowoc by Rev. Samuel W. Mar- 
tin at the end of whose term the villag^e was dropped from 
the conference rolls. 

In 1849 in company with Rev. Allen Mcintosh Rev. 
Lewis was reappointed to Manitowoc and Sheboj^oran Counties; 
services being- held at the Rapids in the Court House and at 
Manitowoc and Two Rivers in the schoolhouses. The next 
3'ear Rev. Lewis alone was assig-ned Manitowoc County 
and he preached occasionally at Manitowoc Rapids, Two 
Rivers, Neshoto, Riley's and Mishicott, a small class being- 
formed at Two Rivers. The pastor boarded with Henry 
Edwards and with his own hands during- the fall and winter 
erected a parsonag-e, working- upon it when not eng-ag-ed in 
pastoral duties. Rev. Lewis was in later years the ag-ent of 
the. American Bible Society, then pastor at Fond du Lac and 
tnally in 1874 retired, since residing- in Sturgeon Bay. Born 
in New Jersey November 25 1815 he forms one of the striking- 
examples of those hardy pioneer preachers whose heroism 
was only excelled by their practical piety. His successor was 
Rev. R. W. Barnes, who led a most successful ministry, the 
church memberr^hip increasing- from 13 to 35, the Sunday 
school attendance from 24 to 50 and a library of 250 volumes 
being- accumulated. Rev. Barnes was instrumental in secur- 
ing- funds for St. Paul's Church, a frame structure 35 by 40 
feet which was erected on North Seventh Street during the 
succeeding years. He removed to Sheboygan Falls in 1853 
and was succeeded by Rev. W. Sturgess. who remained a 
year and later officiated as pastor at various Wisconsin vil- 
lages, being succeeded at Manitowoc by Rev. N. J. Alpin. 
In his ministry the church was dedicated, Prof. Cook of Law- 
rence University delivering the address on that occasion, 
May 3 1856. Rev. Alpin was, born in Batavia, N. Y. in 1821 
and was ordained while at Manitowoc. After forty years in 
the ministry he was superannuated, spending his last years 
ill Waukesha. Rev. William Rowbotham took charge of St. 
Paul's in 1856, being followed by Rev. A. C. Squier a year 



192 

later. Rev. Rowbothatn removed to Mellette, South Dakota 
when he retired while Rev. Squier died at Sturgeon Bay. 

In 1859 Rev. C. C. Symes was assig^ned to Manitowoc by 
the conference, which met that year at St. Paul's, he having- 
charge of Two Rivers also. An Englishman by birth he was 
twenty two years old at the time and had been in America 
six years. After a year at Manitowoc he preached at Berlin, 
Lake Mills and Columbus and died at Manitowoc November 
13 1870. For the following two years Rev. Rositer C. Par- 
sons was the pastor, coming from Green Bay to assume his 
duties. He was born in Georgetown. N. Y. May 30 1817 and 
with his parents early moved to Ohio, where he attended 
Allegheny College and in 1854 came to Wisconsin, preaching 
at Port Washington, Milwauke and, after his Manitowoc 
pastorate, at Whitewater, Lake Geneva, Spring Prairie, 
Menomonee Falls and East Troy, finallj^ passing away at 
Lyons, Wis., Jul}^ 27, 1887. He had under his charge two 
churches, one built at Maple Grove some time during the 
later fifties and St, Paul's. His successor was Rev. L. N. 
Wheeler, who also remained two years and under his able 
management the church grew rapidly. Rev. S. S. Smith 
followed and the church, formerly in the Fond du Lac, was 
placed in the Appleton district. Rev. Smith was in 1899 the 
pastor of the Zion Church near Oshkosh. In 1867 Rev. Alex- 
ander C. Huntley assumed charge which he retained two 
years. He was another New York man, having been born 
December 27 1819 and moving to Ohio at the age of thirteen, 
entered the ministry in 1843. He preached in New York un- 
til 1857 when he removed to Wisconsin and for twenty eight 
years labored at various places, dying at Fond du Lac at the 
age of sixty six years. During the two years following the 
pulpit was filled by Rev. Loren L. Knox, a former Lawrence 
University professor, who had been in Wisconsin for ten 
years. Rev. Knox later retired and has lived many years in 
Evanston, 111. His successor at Manitowoc for two years was 
Rev. James Lavelle, who in 1873 was transferred to Ripon 
and the next year withdrew from the conference. The wish- 
es of the Manitowoc congregation were then gratified in the 



193 

reappointment of Rev. L. N. Wheeler. He occupies a unique 
place in the history of Methodism in Wisconsin. Born in 
Waukesha June 28 1839 he entered the ministry at the ag-e of 
nineteen, his first charge being- Two Rivers. After his first 
Manitowoc ministry he was sent to China to take chargfe of the 
Foo Chow Mission, where he arrived after a long- journey via 
Africa. He was instrumental in starting- The Missionary 
Record and in a few years returned to America, Manitowoc 
ag-ain seeking- and securing- his valuable services. Later he 
preached at Lake Mills and Janesville, became the presiding- 
elder of the Fond du Lac district in 1879, returned to China 
for three years and then preached at Beaver Dam, Bay Vie-w, 
Evansville and Fort Atkinson. In 1890 he went to China a 
third time in the interests of the American Bible Society and 
died at Shanghai April 9 1893. He served as chaplain of 
the Fifty First Wisconsin during the Civil War and was the 
author of several works, am )ng them "A Foreigner in China." 
Then came the ministry of Rev. Philo S. Bennett, also 
a leader in Methodism. Of New York birth he entered the 
ministry in 1837, coming- to Milwaukee nine years later. Af- 
ter securing- an advanced deg-ree at Beloit he was made pre- 
siding- elder of the Appleton district, acted as financial ag-ent 
of Lawrence University and preached at Racine, Waukesha, 
Grand Rapids, New London and other places. He was a 
writer of power, having- been a bitter opponent of slavery and 
in 1890 together with Rev. Lawson published the "History 
of Methodism in Wisconsin." He died in Appleton after sev- 
eral years of retirement on April 5 1895. The church 
membership of St. Paul's during- his incumbency numbered 
sixty-six, but it was increased to seventy-two by his suc- 
cessor, Rev. J. W. Olmstead, who remained in Manitowoc 
two years. In recent years Rev. Olmstead has acted as ag-ent 
of the Children's Home Society. In 1878 Rev. C. N. Stowers 
commenced a two years' pastorate, coming- from Dakota Terri- 
tory. He was born in Maine in 1835 and came to Wisconsin at 
the ag-eof thirty-three years, acting- for some years as professor 
of Lawrence University. He died some years since in Minne- 
apolis. His successor. Rev. G. H. Moulton, who also remained 



m 

but one year was a Canadian by birth and after his transfer 
from Manitowoc became the presiding- elder of the Fond du 
Lac district, later removing" to Nebraska. He was followed 
by Rev. J. F. Tubbs for a year and then came Rev. H. Stone 
Richardson, another commanding- figure in Wisconsin Meth- 
odism. Born in New York on June 27 1827 he was early 
left upon his own resources and drifted to Albany, where he 
made his way throug-h the State Normal School. For some 
years succeeding- he traveled around the world, visiting- Italy, 
Cuba, Texas and at one time being- one of the Texas Rang-ers. 
In 1849- he visited California as a g-old seeker and led a life of 
adventure for several years on the Pacific coast, serving- for a 
time in the leg-islature. When the war broke out he enlisted 
as chaplain of a reg-iment and later became a major. After 
the conflict was over he entered the ministry and held charg-es 
in many Wisconsin cities, retiring- after a successful ministry 
at Oshkosh. He passed away after a short illness February 
9 1899. 

The next Methodist pastor was Rev. J. D. Foote, a man 
of Connecticut birth and a g-raduate of Lawrence University. 
He entered the field in 1858 and in 18b0 was made a regent of 
the state university, later becoming- the chaplain of the Fif- 
teenth Wisconsin. After some years spent in Kansas and 
Texas he returned to Wisconsin in 1883 and came to Manilo- 
w^oc from Fort Howard. Later he visited California for his 
health and died at San Diego July 29 1899. His successor 
at Manitowoc was Rev. J. Wills, who is still in the active 
ministry and it was during- his incumbency that the church 
was repaired and rededicated September 5 1886. The con- 
ference then sent Rev. William Clark for a year, who later 
removed to Sharon, and was succeeded by Rev. A. L. Whit- 
comb, who in 1888 was transferred to Oshkosh. During that 
year the church was served by Revs. E. B. Service, J. N. Fun- 
ston and J. D. Cole. By this time the membership had 
reached eig-hty and there were over one hundred children in 
the Sunday school. For two years following- Rev. J. H. 
Tippet officiated as pastor, then for two years Rev. T. D. 
Williams acted as such, followed for a jear by Rev. H. J. 



195 

Duecker and then by Rev. O. P. Christian for two years, Rev. 
C. F. McGaha for one year and Rev. J. E. Garrett for a year. 
All of the last named six are still in the ministry in Wiscon- 
sin, except Rev. Duecker, transferred to the Southwest Kan- 
sas conference in 1896 and Rev. McGaha transferred to the 
East Ohio conference a year later. In 1898 the present pas- 
tor. Rev. William Hooton, assumed his duties at Manitowoc 
and has been very successful in his ministry. The church 
numbers about eig-hty members and a thriving- Sunday school 
with one hundred and thirty pupils is an important adjunct 
as is also a ladies society. An Epworth League was started 
in connection with the church and the convention of the Ap- 
pleton district of the society was held in Manitowoc in June 
1898. The Woman's Missionary Society, in existence for sev- 
en years, is an active association and the district convention 
of the society was held in the city in May 1897. 

As said before missions were early established at various 
points in the county. In 185S Rev. L. N. Wheeler was sent 
to Two Rivers and Gibson, being- succeeded by Rev. Walter 
McFarlane in 1860, who also remained two years. By this 
time an $800 church had been erected at Gibson and two 
Sunday schools were maintained by the minister. Reverend 
McFarlane was an ardent worker born in 1819 in Glasg-ow, 
Scotland and entering- the Wisconsin ministry in 1856. After 
twenty years of pastoral service he retired and parsed awa}^ 
at EvansviUe, Feb. 9 1896. During- the war services at 
Two Rivers were discontinued and the Maple Grove charg-e, 
formerly dependent on Manitowoc, was combined with that 
at Gibson. A. C. Elliot acted as supply in 1864 but the con- 
gregation there grew smaller steadily and a few years later 
both were dropped from the conference list. An effort was 
made in 1870 to revive the Two Rivers class by W. Rose, a 
local preacher but after a year or so the attempt was g-iven 
up. The Gibson church was again active in 1883 occasional 
services being held by Rev. H. Stone Richardson. The pul- 
pit was later filled for several years by supplies, among- them 
W. C. Morris, J. R. Joslyn, Alfred de Ford, F. Robertson and 
Georg-e A. Cooke. In 1886 under the last named the congre- 



19« 

g-ation numbered thirty members and a Sunday school of 
seventy-five scholars was maintained but soon after the church 
was finally discontinued. Thus today St. Paul's is the sole 
Engflish speaking- Methodist church in the county. 

The Methodist church has always been expansive in 
character and thus it was not strange that an effort should 
early be made to establish its doctrines among the German 
immigrants who came to Wisconsin in such large numbers in 
the latter forties. Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties were 
made a working unit in this effort and as early as 1849 these 
two counties were on the Illinois Conference rolls although 
no reg-ular pastor was sent to the region until 1851, when 
Rev. John Bischoff came to Manitowoc county and gathered 
together fourteen converts. After his departure a year later 
Rev. H. Senn assumed charge, succeeded in 1854 by Rev. 
Frederick Kluckholm, the German Methodists in the two 
counties then being eighty-two in number. It was Rev. Kluck- 
holm who in reality was the founder of the church in the vil- 
lag-e of Manitowoc, the small building which for many years 
was used by the congregation being constructed in his pas- 
torate. In 1856 he was succeeded by Rev. H. Withorn. By 
this time Shebcygan county had been taken from the circuit 
and efforts were made at the establishment of other churches 
in the county, notably in the town of Newton, a church being 
built there. In 1858 Rev. S. Schilfsgard assumed charge of 
the village work while Rev. C. Schneider looked after the in- 
terests of the country congregations. Later however the cir- 
cuit was consolidated, Rev. John Salzer serving for two years, 
Rev. John W. Roecker for two and Rev. F. Feistkorn and 
Rev. Richard Fickenscher for one year apiece, followed by 
Rev. C. Leiprandt's two 3'ear pastorate, commencing in 1865. 
By this time the churches bad been placed in the Chicago 
Conference and there were three congregations outside of the 
one in Manitowoc, having a large aggregate membership. 
This led to a division of the county in 1867 into two charges^ 
Manitowoc and the Manitowoc circuit. In that year Rev. C. 
Stellner was assigned to the former and Rev. Henry Over- 
beck to the latter, Rev. Stellner remaining two years while 



197 



the latter was succeeded by Rev. Conrad Eberhardt. In 1S69 
Revs. Theodore Strauble and C. Eberhardt shared the duties, 
the former remaining- two j^ears but the latter being- trans- 
ferred elsewhere, leaving- the circuit vacant for some time. 

In 1871 the work was assig-ned to Revs. J. J. Sandsmeier 
and Conrad Lampert, the former taking the city charg-e. Rev. 
Lampert soon left, being- succeeded by Rev. Michael Enz- 
minger while the city church was put under the ministry of 
Rev. Carl F. Allert in 1873, he remaining- three years. Rev. 
Charles Rakow served two years (1874-1876) in the circuit 
after a year's interim being- succeeded by Rev. E. Drescher, 
who also served two years. In the meantime Rev, B. Becker 
had become pastor of the city church and remained such until 
1879 when Rev. J. J. Keller succeeded him for a year. By 
this time the circuit had diminished in size, only the Newton 
church being- left with fifty members, while the Manitowoc 
church numbered seventy-five. Rev. Peter Schaeffer had 
charg-e of the Newton church in 1879 but in 1880 the two 
were combined, Rev. Charles Irwert assuming charge. It 
was he, whose efforts broug-bt about the construction of a 
new brick church home at the corner of South Ninth and 
Hamilton streets, the cornerstone of which was laid in Juiy 
1882. His successors have been Revs. Anton Meixner (1883- 
1885), Ernst Fitzner (1885-1886), C. Roehl (1886-1891^ A. 
F. Fuerstenau (1891-1895), J. F. Romoser (1895-1902) and 
Rev. J. F. Mueller the present pastor. The conference of the 
church met at Manitowoc in 1885 and again in 1900. 

A Norweg-ian Methodist church was organized in Man- 
itowoc in 1869, Rev. C. Jensen being- chosen the first pastor. 
The charg-e included a church at Sheboygan also and both 
were placed under the Northwest Norwegian Conference. A 
small frame church was erected on North Sixth street and 
the membership was at first nineteen in number, gradually 
increasing- as the years went by. Rev. Jensen was succeeded 
by Rev. B. Johansen in 1872, who retained the charg-e for 
two years, his successor being- Rev. Charles Omann, who re- 
mained for a like period. In 1876 Rev. O. Wiersen was as- 
signed to Manitowoc and Sheboygan, and was succeeded a 



198 

year later b}^ Rev. Gustafsen, who in turn g-ave way to Rev. 
O. L. Hansen after a year's ministry. Since 1880, however, 
there have been no reg^ularly appointed ministers, occasional 
visits being- made by itinerant evang-elists. Reverend Peter- 
son of another denomination of faith occupied the pulpit for 
some time in 1900. 

PRESBYTERIAN. 

- Among the churches in Manitowoc the First Presbyter- 
ian has always been prominent. The history of the org-ani- 
zation dates back to June 26, 1851 on which day the church 
was founded at the home of Fri^derick Borcherdt in the vil- 
lage of Manitowoc Rapids The instigating- spirit in the 
movement was Rev. William Herritt, who was sent to the 
county as a home missionary in August 1850. Rev. Herritt 
was a g-raduate of Lane Seminary and had been licensed to 
preach a year before enteri ig on hisduties at Manitowoc. His 
first efforts were at Two Rivers, where he established a Con- 
gregational Church the following January but later he broad- 
ened his work so that the Rapids organization assumed life. 
The charter members were F. Borcherdt, Mrs. Wilhelmina 
Borcherdt, James and I-^abella Patterson, Mrs. S. D. Herritt, 
M. E. Hall, Margaret Allen, Abigail Sherman, !r. S. Reed, E. 
A. Sherman, D. M. Thomas, Moses Tufts and Misses Eliza 
and H. A. Tufts. For a little over two years Rev. Herritt 
had charge, making a circuit of over twenty miles each Sab- 
bath on foot at first, although later he purchased a horse. 
Mrs. Herritt, who was an educated woman, later wrote a book 
containing the family's experience in Wisconsin entitled "A 
Keepsake," which contained many interesting facts concern- 
ing their life in the county. The Herritts removed in 1853, 
the husband dying at Quincy, III., January 19, 1867, being 
survived for man}^ years by his wife, who made her home 
in Kansas City. In 1852 the church was removed to Manito- 
towoc and in the same year the Milwaukee Presbytery met in 
the latter village. The church was connected with that body 
from the beginning. 

After meeting in the schoolhouse for some time it was 
decided that a church should be built. It was on the 30th of 



199 

March 1854, at a meeting- presided over by Frederick Borch- 
erdt, that the matter was definitely settled. Five trustees, 
since the org-anization perfected by Rev. Herritt had fallen 
into desuetude, were then chosen as follows: — Louis Sher- 
man, James Patterson, Frederick Borcherdt, Hanson Rand 
and Georg-e Reed. On July 16, 1855 a contract was entered into 
by which arrang-ements were made for the construction of a 
building- at the corner of North Ninth and Chicago streets, 
and it was not long- before it was completed at a cost of $490, 
being- known as "The Tabernacle." The efforts of the Enter- 
prise Ladies Society of the church provided furnishings for 
the new house of worship at a cost of $100 and the structure 
was duly dedicated in November. In May Rev. Mead Holmes 
had been engaged at a salary of $600 a year and he entered 
upon his duties soon after. An energetic worker he soon had 
the little cong-regation in a flourishing- condition. He paid 
particular attention to the Sunday school, later in life being- 
a leader in this line and this important feature of church life 
was added in the same year. After four years of ministry at 
Manitowoc Rev. Holmes resig-ned and was succeeded by Rev. 
M. C. Stanley, who had been in Wisconsin since 1856 and 
who had been for some time pastor of the Congreg-ational 
church at Two Rivers Rev. Holmes continued to reside at 
Manitowoc a number of years as a religious worker and wri- 
ter, among- his works being- a volume entitled "A Soldier of 
the Cumberland," descriptive of his son's experiences in the 
war. Later the family moved to Rockford, 111. where the 
venerable clerg-yman still resides. Rev. Stanley was a man 
of great integrity and strong- principle, — a sturdy advocate 
of liberty before the war, attracting- much attention in the 
village by his sermons against slavery. 

Early in 1860 he removed to Milwaukee and was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. John H. Dillingham, formerly of New York. 
Three years later he was, in turn, followed by Rev. A. G. 
Beebe, who served the congreg-ation ably until 1865 when 
Rev. W. J. Stoutenberg assumed charg-e. In 1868 upon his 
removal to Michig-an a new era was inaugarated by the call- 
ing of Rev. C. B. Stevens of Hancock, Mich. An energ-etic 



200 

and yet practical leader he decided that the church should 
immediately seek better and more commodious quarters, gfiv- 
ing- largely of his own means to see that end consummated. 
In January a lot at the corner of North Eig'hth and State 
streets was purchased from Hiram McAllister for a consider- 
ation of $1500 and two years later the construction of the 
building- began. In the meantime the church had increased 
in membership and the Sunday scho d under the charge of O. 
R. Bacon reached a high standard. The cornerstone of the 
First Church as it was called was laid on June 21, 1870 with 
solemn ceremonies. A parade, in which the Odd Fellows, 
Masons, Sons of Hermann and musical societies participated, 
was formed and when the site was reached President Louis 
Sherman opened the service. Songs, prayers and the reading 
of a text by Rev. Wilson of Two Rivers followed; then E. B. 
Treat of the building committee read the figures giving the 
cost and dimensions of the structure and a brief response was 
made by J. D. Markham, representing the trustees. The 
stone was then duly laid, taps of the trowel being adminis- 
tered by Mayor Peter Johnston, Rev. Stevens, Rev. Knox of 
the M. E. Church, Rev. Windemuth of the German Reformed 
and H. A. Raine of the Masons. In 1872 the structure, com- 
pleted at the cost of $20,000 was ready for occupancy and for 
five years Rev. Stevens had the pleasure of preaching in the 
edifice, which his efforts had made possible. Then, in 1877 
he resigned, being succeeded for three years by Rev. W. F. 
Cellars. In 1880 a call was extended to Rev. J. M. Craig, a 
very able and eloquent clergyman of -Scotch descent, liberal 
in opinions and learned in the classics. During the next six 
years the church enjoyed great prosperity and it was with 
genuine regret that his Sock received his resignation in July 
1886, in order that he might accept a call to Holyoke, Mass. 
After a few months interim the congregation called Rev, 
Guido Bossard, then a young man fresh from theological 
studies, whose scholarly attainments soon gained him general 
respect. He was ordained February 7, 1887 and remained un- 
til September 1890 when he left for Oconto, later establishing 
himself at La Crosse. In 1889 the Milwaukee Presbytery 



201 

ag-ain met at Manitowoc. At this time the elders of the 
church were E. K. Rand, H. F. Hubbard and W. Thombs, 
ly. M. Sherman succeeding- the last named later and C. F. 
Smalley being- added in 1892. Rev. O- H. Chapin of Delevan 
was called in 1890 and was a most popular pastor during- his 
four years of service. In November 1895 he resigned to ac- 
cept a call to a Milwaukee church, his successor being Rev. 
Emmet Rapkin, who served from February 1896 to July 1899. 
Rev. Rankin was born in Paoli, Kansas in 1869 and grad- 
uated at the age of twenty from Parks College, Kansas City, 
later doing post graduate work at Princeton, besides pursu- 
ing theological studies at the McCormick Seminary in Chi- 
cag-o. Three vears after leaving Manitowoc he resigned 
from the ministry to assume the editorial chair of a leading 
agricultural paper. The next pastor was Rev. Walter John- 
ston, who came from Ironwood, Mich., a man of g-reat elo- 
quence and power. His ministry, however, was short as he 
accepted a call from Logansport, Indiana. His successor, the 
present pastor. Rev. D. C. Jones assumed his duties in April 
1901. The church is largely attended and maintains a Sun- 
day school. A society of Christian Endeavor was organized 
in 1887 and for many years it has led a successful existence, 
the convention of the Winnebag-o district being held in the 
city in March 1898. A Junior Endeavor is also an adjunct to 
the church as are also a ladies society and a young womans' 
guild. Extensive improvements to the church edifice were 
made during the winterof 1902, and the Presbytery met there 
in the spring of 1903, 

On November 26, 1858 the First Presbyterian church of 
Eaton was organized, trustees being- elected as follows:^ — J. 
M. Curtiss, J. Mott, G. Monroe, E. A. Brown and J. Tyler. 
This continued in existence for some time but during- the war 
interest lagged and the services became infrequent. In 1869 
jEi Presbyterian church was established at Cato, the elders be- 
ing- S. D. Robinson, later succeeded by R. McNutt, N. Dar- 
ling, D. Robinson and O. Davis. No regular pastor served 
the church until 1893 when Rev. A. Rederus was called from 
Sioux City, Iowa. On May 19th two years later he revived 



202 

the Eaton church at Niles, M. Johnson and W. Tyler being- 
chosen elders. He continued to minister at both places until 
1898 when he resigned, since whi:h time the pulpits have 
been vacant. The Hope Bohemian Presbyterian Church was 
Started at Melnik in 1892 by Rev. Joseph Balcar, who was or- 
dained at Manitowoc, but he left after two years service for 
Kly, Iowa, being- succeeded by the present pastor, Rev. F. T. 
Bastel. Occasional Presbyterian s^ervices in that lang-uag-e 
are held in Manitowoc also. 

ROMAN CATHOLIC. 

The part played by the Roman Catholic Church in Man- 
itowoc county has always been a large one and in member- 
ship the congreg-ations professing that faith far outnumber 
all others. The parishes in the county are partly in the Mil- 
waukee and partly in the Green Bay diocese, the latter hav- 
ing- been founded in I860 with the Manitowoc and Fox Rivers 
as the dividing- lines. Green Bay was the center of early 
activity along- missionary lines in Wisconsin and thus it was 
that Rev. Joseph Brenner was sent to Manitowoc county in 
1850. An occasional visit from a Jesuit wanderer had been 
made before this time but it was not until Rev. Brenner's ar- 
rival that definite pastoral work began ^nd perhaps no man 
better fitted could have been chosen for the work. Energetic 
and zealous at the end of his four years of service he had es" 
tablished cong-reg-ations at Manitowoc Rapids, Two Rivers, 
Cooperstown, Meeme, Maple Grove and French Creek, hold- 
ing- services and building churches in each of these places. 
This was a wonderful accomplishment considering- the cir- 
cumstances, — the newness of the community and the poverty 
of the parishioners. The cong-reg-ation at the Rapids in- 
cluded for some jears the members of the faith at Manitowoc, 
the latter being- oblig-ed to g-o to the county seat to attend 
services, a church being erected at the Rapids in 1852. In 
the next year Father Brenner was called away from his dut- 
ies and later left for the island of Java in the East Indies. A 
member of the Jesuit order the clerg-yman was forty-five years 
of ag-e when he came to Manitowoc, having- for some years 



203 

previous resided at Green Bay where he g-ained a reputation 
as a linquist and writer. He died in the midst of his labors 
at Bombay, India in January 1885. His successor, Rev. H. 
J. Nuyts had also been previously stationed at Green Bay and 
upon assuming- charg-e decided that a church should be built 
at Manitowoc. According-ly the first St. Boniface, a frame 
structure 40 by 70 feet, was erected on a lot on Marshall 
street, it being- capable of seating- seven hundred people and 
soon after a small parsor.ag-e was built and a five acre burial 
site purchased at a point some distance south of the city. 
Rev. Nuyts continued in service at Manitowoc and Rapids 
for three years, when he left for Grant County, from where 
soon after he returned to his native Holland, dying- at a ripe 
ag-e. 

His successor was Rev. Michael Beittner, who came in 
1856 and officiated for a year. Father Beittner was of Bavar- 
ian birth and was ordained by Bishop Henni, officiating- at 
New Coeln and Potosi before being- sent to Manitowoc. Af- 
ter serving- as pastor at Brig-hton, Jefferson and Racine for a 
time he returned to Bav^aria, where he died May 28 18*J5. 
From April to Aug-ust 1857 Rev. Joseph Maly was the priest 
of St. Boniface. He was born in Bohemia in 1828 and g-radu- 
ated from the Budweis Theolog-ical School at the ag-e of 
twenty-eig-ht, coming- to America a year later. After a short 
residence at Syracuse, N. Y. he came to Wisconsin and for 
many years was eng-aged in work in Manitowoc County and 
later in Kewaunt-e count3\ In the fullness of ag-e he then re- 
tired to a farm in Pane County. On August 23, 1857 he was 
succeeded in Manitowoc by Rev. Mathew Gernbauer, who re- 
mained until July 1859, being- followed a year by Rev. Max 
de Becke, both serving ihe Rapids ch arch as well. Puring 
the earlier sixties Rev. J. M. Pfeiffer acted as priest, resig-n- 
ing to take a trip to Germany and dying at sea on his return 
voyage September 30, 1863. Puring his absence Rev. E. A. 
Van Steenwyk of Two Rivers had officiated but the vacancy 
caused b}' the former's death was filled by the appointment 
of Rev. James Staehle, who remained in Maniiowoc until 
1868. Puring the next ten years Rev. Joseph Fessler was 



204 

the resident priest. He was a German by birth and came to 
America in youth, stud3nng- at St. Francis Seminary. He 
was largely instrumental in the foundation of the convent at 
Alverno and after leaving" Manitowoc went west, dying- at 
Beaverton, Oreg-on June 20, 1896. On March 17, 1878 Rev. H. 
Jacobs assumed the duties of the parish and held the position 
until March three years later. He was born in Germany in 
1841, came to America at the ag-e of nineteen and soon g-rad- 
uated from St. Francis. After traveling- in Europe he beg-an 
his work in Fond du Lac County, where he returned to die 
after g-iving up his Manitowoc parish. For three months 
Rev. George Fessler of Alverno filled the vacancy and in May 
Rev. W. J. Peil the present incumbent assumed charge. Born 
in Racine October 3, 1849 he was ordained after a course at St. 
Francis, in 1872 and acted as assistant at St. Joseph's in Mil- 
waukee for some months, later being stationed at Caledonia'. 
A man of indomitable energy he soon made his influence felt. 
At his arrival there were one hundred families connected with 
the parish while at present there are about four times that 
number. His first aim was the building of a church as the 
older structure was becoming too small. The cornerstone of 
the new St. Boniface was laid May 5, 1885 with due ceremony, 
addresses being delivered by Fathers Willmes and Cleary, 
while the consecration occurred Nov. 25, 1886, Bishop Heiss 
officiating. The totol cost of the structure, which was 136 by 
60 feet with a spire 136 feet high, was $30,000, the frescoing 
and other decorations being elaborate. The old church was 
used as a school for a time. Father Fessler having started 
such an institution in his ministry. An important adjunct 
to the church has been the St. Joseph Benevolent Society 
formed May 15, 1874. The first officers were: President, T. 
Mohr; Vice President, Adam Bleser; Secretary, N. Gentgen; 
Treasurer, C, M. Peters. It was incorporated two years later 
and celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1899, the event 
being attended by many thousands. During its existence it 
has expended over $12,000 in benevolence. Branches of the 
Catholic Knights, Catholic Order of Foresters and Knights 
of Columbus are also connected with the church. The pres- 



206 

ent constituency of the cong^reg-ation is mainly German and 
Irish and the work has become so extensive that for several 
years it has been necessary to have an assistant, Revs. Muel- 
ler and Salbreiter having- filled the position. 

Another of the oldest Catholic organizations of the coun- 
ty is St. Luke's at Two Rivers. In 1851 R. M. Eberts and 
wife donated three lots in Block 51 to Bishop Henni for a 
church and accordingly Father Brenner established a mission 
on July 16, a frame structure being built to accommodate the 
worshippers. A. majority of these were French Canadians 
although many Germans and a few Irish were in the number, 
necessitating representation of the variousnationalities among- 
the priests. After Father Brenner departed the following 
officiated:— Revs. W. De Yonge 1856-1857, Peter Menard 
1857-1858, J. C. Perrodm 1858-1860, S. Senner 1860-1861, J. 
M. Pfeiffer 1861-1863, E. Van Steenwyk 1863-1864, Bonaven- 
turade Goey 1864-1865, N. Hens 1866-1867, Jacob Gauche 
1867-1870, J. F. Zawistowski 1870-1873, J. Gauche 1873-1877, 
A. Bogacki 1877-1879, The next pastor. Rev. George J. 
Veith, died suddenly October 1, 1881 while visiting in Green 
Bay and was succeeded by Rev. Mathias Welbes, who in 1891 
was transferred to Kewaunee, being succeeded by Rev. J. A. 
Geissler. After two years Father Geissler departed and Rev. 
John G. Dries became pastor. On March 16, 1898, however, 
he died and Rev. Geissler was recalled, having- since served 
the congregation. Fatlier Dries was born in Luxemburg 
July 6, 1852 and came to America at the age of thirty, some 
years after entering the priesthood and at first ministering to 
congregations in Brown and Kewaunee counties. Father 
Geissler was born in Patterson, New Jersey April 4, 1854 and 
spent his early years at school in Belgium. His place in the 
hearts of his parishioners is high and he has done much for 
their advancement, the church now numbering 370 families. 
The cornerstone of a new church was laid July 12, 1891 and 
the structure, a fine stone one costing $25,000 was dedicated 
in October the year following. A benevolent society, taking 
the name of St. Joseph, was organized in 1872 and has done 
much good. A branch of the Catholic Knights also exists. 



206 

Another of the orig-inal churches of the county is that, 
known as St. Patrick's, in tha town of Maple Grove. Four- 
teen Catholics met at the home B. S. Lorigan in 1850 and 
formed a church, which was visited at first by Rev. Brenner. 
A frame church was Duilt and occasional services held by the 
priests in charge at Manitowoc until 1861 when Rev. Sebas- 
tian was made a resident pastor. He was a sincere patriot 
and did much towards filling- Maple Grove's quota during- the 
civil struggle. His successor in 1865 was Rev Eugene Mc- 
Ginnity now of Janesville and largely through his efforts the 
building of a new church was undertaken, the cornerstone 
being laid November 1, 1868, the structure when completed 
being 100 by 46 feet. The succeeding pastors having been 
Revs. James Mahoney 1868-1870, Andrew Seubert 1870-1874, 
Louis Cornelius 1874-1875, C. Lemogie 1875-1879, Roman 
Schotter 1879- 1881, W. J. Rice 1881-1887, Conrad Seule 1887- 
1893 and the present pastor Rev. T. J.Ryan. E^ather Ryan is 
of Irish birth and became a priest in 1884, ministering inOmro, 
Winneconne and Ripon for some time. A branch of the C. 
K. W. is in existence in connection with St. Luke's. 

A fourth church to be established by Father Brenner was 
St. James' at Cooperstown. A building was erected in 1850, 
six years after the first permanent settlement in the town- 
ship. Until 1865 it was visited by Father Brenner of Man- 
itowoc and Father Maly of Francis Creek but in that year 
Rev. Augustin Lang took up his duties at the parish, suc- 
ceeded in two years by Rev. William Mahoney. Rev. Euse- 
bius Henzle, who came to the church in 1868, died February 
20, 1870 and was succeeded by Rev. James Gauche now of De 
Pere for three years. A new church was erected in 1871, 
made possible by the energetic efforts of the building com- 
mittee. From 1876 to 1884 Rev. August Rossochowitz, an 
exile from Germany officiated, being succeeded for a few 
months by Father Stirn of Francis Creek. The later priests 
have been Revs. J. A. Duermeyer 1884-1887, John H. Holz- 
knecht 1887-1892, F. X. Steinbrecher and F. W. Geier 1892, 
John D. Schwartzmeyer 1892-1895. In 1895 Rev. G. J. Pelle- 
grin assumed charge, a man of extraordinary attainments, of 



207 

Belg-ian birth and a ling-uist of reputation. Born in 1846 he 
came to America at the ag-e of nineteen and is a graduate of 
St. Francis Seminar}'. His successor was the present pastor, 
Rev. F. W. Geier. The cougreg-ation was incorporated in 
1883 and now numbers one hundred and twenty-five families. 
Branch No. 101 C. K. W. is made up of members of St. James. 
Father Brenner also organized St. Ann's at Francis 
Creek, the first church being built by his successor, Rev. 
Joseph Maly, Rev. F. X. Steinbrecher became the pastor in 
1877 serving until 1885. Later Rev. William H. De Haan, a 
native of Amsterdam, Holland assumed charge, removing- to 
Aniwa in 1896 and being- succeeded by Rev. Lakoney, who in 
turn g-ave way to the present priest. Rev. J. Vorlichek. The 
cong-regation numbers seventy families. 

St. Isidore's Church in the town of Meeme is another mon- 
ument to the organizing- ability of Father Brenner. In the 
fall of 1850 a few relig'ionists gathered at the home of John 
Maltilor and formed a church. Henry Mulholland, Sr. do- 
nated a three acre plot upon which was constructed a chapel 
50 by 30 feet. Bishop Henni naming- it. It was visited by 
priests from surrounding, churches until 18b2 when Rev. 
Lawrence Kenney took charge. He induced his people to 
build a new structure, which was completed in 1864 and 
blessed by Bishop Henni on his memorable trip throug-h the 
county that 3'ear when a total of 910 were confirmed at the 
various churches. Rev. Kenney died while at St. Isadore's 
and was buried under the new church. Rev. McGinnity of 
Maple Grove then looked after the parish for four years until 
the appointment of Rev. Thomas McDoneell who also died in 
the midst of his labors February 24 1869. After a vacancy of 
a year the following- pastors officiated in the order named: — 
Revs. E. R. Goss 1870-1871, Dennis Tierney 1871-1874, J. R. 
Briller 1878-1879, Thomas Corry 1879-1880, R. J. Roche 1880- 
1882, A. J. Gerhard 1882, J. J. Smith 1883-1885, E. E. Graves 
1885-1886, E. F. Pitt 1886-1890~ M. B. Norton 1890-1894 and 
Rev. E. Henderson. The church numbers 500 families, larg-e- 
ly of Irish descent. Branch No." 68 C. K. W. was established 
at Meeme April 14 1887. 



208 

The next church td be established in the county was St, 
Joseph's at Kellntrsville. In 1852 fifteen Bohemian families 
settled at that villag-e,— orig-inally all Catholics. For six 
years they were attended by Rev. Joseph Maly of Francis 
Creek and a log- church was built in the town of Cooperstown, 
dedicated to St. Wenceslaus, there being- 150 families in the 
parish. After various vicissitudes a dispute arose over the 
property and the church, led by Rev. Gideon Manazek, be- 
came schismatic, the pastor being- suspended from the priest- 
hood. Reverend Manazek died in 1873 and was followed for 
four years by Reverend Sadimir Klacel, who continued the 
church in defiance of the diocesan authorities. Reverend A. 
Cipin of Carlton at last brought about a reconciliation and a 
new church was then built, one mile south of St. Wenceslaus 
and dedicated to St. Joseph. Among the later priests have 
been Revs. Ig-natz Lager, J. Maly, F. Privoznek, W. Koerner, 
J. Jiranek, A. Cipin, R. Lakomey and F. Just. A division 
occurred during Rev. Koerner's ministry, several families 
withdrawing-. Reverend Just is a Bohemian by birth and 
came to America at an early age. He also has a mission at 
Greenslreet under his charge. 

In no community in the county has religious and secular 
life been more closely allied than at the village of St. Nazianz. 
Rev. Ambrose Oschwald, a native of Baden, a man of high intel- 
lectual order with tastes tending- somewhat toward asceticism, 
was responsible for the founding- of a colony at that village, 
communistic and religious in character. Gathering around 
him one hundred and fourteen of his followers, mainly from 
his parish in the old world, he set out for a new country in 
order that he might found a Utopia. He arrived in Milwau- 
kee in A.ugust 1854 and was there induced to purchase 3840 
acres. of land in the town of Eaton, paying $3.50 per acre. 
Arriving at their new home on the 26th of the month the set- 
tlers set at work hewing down the wilderness and among- the 
first structures built was a church, St. Gregory's. A convent 
for the women was ^oon constructed and in 1864 a monastery 
of the Franciscan order was added. The land was owned 
and worked in common and the whole domestic economy was 



209 

Under the guidance of Father Oschwald, The latter has 
been described as "intimate with the classics and history, 
learned in medicine and eloquent as a divine'' and he was 
above all a consistent communist. A common treasury was 
established and certain rules and regulations adopted for the 
government of all. Father Oschwald was somewhat of an 
architect and his design of the settlement buildings were un- 
ique. The sisters' convent was a large three story building 
situated on Main street, plastered on the outside and painted 
a delicate pink. One wing was used as a chapel, containing 
two galleries and was capable of seating a large number of 
persons. The brothers' monastery was similar in construc- 
tion and also contained a chapel. Around the grounds were 
various "stations," boxes on posts containing representations 
of sacred scenes and upon the summit of a little hill was 
erected a small chapel, resembling and named after the fa- 
mous Mount Loretto, the interior decorations being quite 
elaborate. The first church soon became too small for the. 
increasing number of the c 'lonists and accordingly a larger 
one was built. The parishioners themselves engaged in dif- 
ferent occupations, some tending in the fields while others 
made articles of straw, shoes, fancy work and a certain kind 
of cheese that became immensely popular in the market. All 
prospered until Father Oschwald's death, which occurred on 
February 27, 1873, whereupon dissensions arose and many of 
the communal features were abandoned. The sarcophagus 
containing the remains of the dead priest still lies in the 
basement of the monastery always guarded by a, lighted 
lamp. Rev. P. A. Mutz was his successor, he having been 
ordained as one of the graduates of St. Francis some 3'ears 
before. The present pastor is Rev. Diebl. The village is 
still full of the old world atmosphere and religious influences 
are great. A branch of the C. K. W., exists in connection 
with St. Gregory's. 

Among the older churches of the county is that of the Nati- 
vity atTisch Mills. Founded by Rev. J. Maly it remained as a 

The author desires to state that he owes the names and dates of the rural priests of the 
county to that admirable work, the Catholic Church in Wisconsin. 



210 

mission connected with Carlton, Kewaunee county until 1893. 
Among- its pastors have been Revs. Augfust Lang-, A. Cipin, 
Joseph Kirpal, A. Vychodil and E. Kabat. Since its separa- 
tion from Carlton Revs. F. Shimonek, F. Windisch, F. Kolen 
and L. Ulauschek have had charg-e of the parish in the order 
named. The church numbers 150 families. 

In 1861 Father Schrauderbach of Shebo3'gan established St. 
Wendel's in the town of Centerville. Rev. Kleiber, a Bavarian, 
was the first resident priest, followed a year later by Rev. P. 
Stuecki of Sheboyg-an, who died Feb. 4 1863 and was buried 
near the church. A log structure was erected at first, then a 
frame building in 1864, which burned down thirty years later 
and was replaced by an eleg-ant new church in 1895. A mis- 
sion at Centerville was established also in 1861 by Father 
Schrauderbach and another, St. Fidelis', in the town of 
Meeme by Father Korfhag-e in 1872, both of which have since 
been under the care of the priests of St. Wendel. The pas- 
tors since Rev. Stuecki's death have been: — Revs. J. Welter 
1863-1864, Bernhard 1864, M. Weiss 1864-1865, A. F. Zuber 
18(.5-1871, H. F. Korfhage 1871-1875, Thomas Breiker 1875- 
1877, C. Schilling- 1877-1880, J. P. Van Treek 1880-1882, H. 
Felfstern 1882-1893, Rudolph Ollig 1893, William Dejalle 
1893-1899, and W. Wolf, the present pastor. About 100 fam- 
ilies are under his charge. 

St. Aug-ustine's cong-reg-ation in the town of Kossuth, made 
up of the settlers of Bohemian nationality who early came to 
the town, was started in 1862. The church is attended by 
priests from Francis Creek and Kellnersville. The cong-re- 
gation numbers about one hundred families. 

In 1865 Ira Clark g^ave two acres for a church site at Clark's 
Mills and upon it was built the Church of the Immaculate 
Conception. Before 1865- occasional services had been held 
by priests from Maple Grove but it was not until that year 
that a priest was assigned the locality regularly, Father 
Fessler serving- the congregation for some time. Then for 
some years it was a mission of St. Nazianz and Maple Grove 
until 1875 when Rev. John Wernert was assigned the parish. 
A brick structure, 75 b}^ 13 feet costing $4000, was then erect- 



211 

ed and a parsonag-e completed. The succeeding- pastors were 
Revs. Gerhard Hornish 1878, Clement Lau 1878-1879, Joseph 
Rhode 1879-1885, John Holzknecht 1885-1887, J. A. Duer- 
meyer 1887-1890, Georg-e Brenner 1890-1895, E. Kabat 1895- 
1899, The present pastor is Rev. Ulrich. Branch No. 146 
C. K. W. is located at Clark's Mills. 

The Church of the Assumption was built by tlie Bohe- 
mian residents of Reedsville in 1866, there having been orig-in- 
ally twenty-five families in the parish. It was first attended 
by priests from Francis Creek but in 1876 Rev. Julius Slroehlke 
assumed charg-e, being succeeded the next year by Rev. Maly 
for a few months, he in turn being- followed by Rev. T. Spun- 
or. During- the latter's pastorate the cornerstone <;f a new 
church was laid, it being- completed by Rev. John Videnka, 
who died in the midst of his labors on May 29, 1885. During- 
the term of his successor, Rev, William Kraemer a branch of 
the Catholic Knights was established and a parochial school 
started and in 1896 Rev. Adelbert Cipin assumed charge. 
Rev. Cipin is a Bohemian by birth and entered the priesthood 
in 1873, serving- at Ahnapee and Kellnersville before being- 
transferred to Reedsville. Holy Trinity church at Kasson 
was established as a mission from the Assumption in 1875 
and has since been so connected. 

A Polish church, named St. Casimir's was established in 
1868 at Northeim in the town of Newton. Fire destroyed the 
first structure in 1880 but it was rebuilt and is now a substan- 
tial edifice. The pastors of the cong-i eg-ation have been Revs. 
B. Buwzynski 1868-1870, F. X. Kralczywski 1870-1871, P. 
Koncz 1872-1873, Alexander Michnowski 1873-1874, Simon 
Wieczorik 1874-1877, C. Goerik 1877-1878, R. A. Bukowski 
1878-1879, J. Musulwicz 1879-1880, Aenitas Goch 1880-1881, 
Georg-e Fessler 1881-1882, Felix Ozechowski 1882-1884, J. 
Deilkicaworz 1885-1887, J. Horbacz 1887-1888, John Maczyn- 
ski 1889-1891, Z. Luczycki 1891-1893, Henry Cichocki 1893 
and the present pastor, Ignatz Paluch, 

St. Mary's Polish Church was organized at Manitowoc 
February 24 1870. The frame building used formerly by 
the German Lutherans of the city was purchased three years 



212 

later and removed to "the Hill," being- dedicated September 6 
1874. The cong-reg-ation g-rew rapidly until now it embraces 
three hundred families. In 1888 an orphan asylum was 
founded and placed under the care of the Polish Felician Sis- 
ters and it has since become an important benevolent institu- 
tion. In the same year it was decided to begin the construc- 
tion of a new and costl}' church but after the foundation had 
been laid funds grew scarce and it was ten j'ears before the 
structure could be completed, the dedication ceremonies oc- 
curring- October 1 1899. The list of pastors of the church is 
as follows:— Rev. F. X. Kralczywski 1872, Peter Koncz 1872- 
1873, A. Michnowski 1873-1874, Simon Wieczorik 18/" 5-1876, 
Erasmus Bartkiewicz 1878. Joseph Musylwicz 1879-1882, 
Felix Orzcechorisk 1882-1884, Joseph Deiticwicz 1884, Ladis- 
laus Zuczcki 1886-1890, C. Monczysk 1893, Henry Cichocki 
1893-1894. As the chronolog-y shows there have been fre= 
quent vacancies but a new era of prosperity was inaugurated 
upon the arrival of Rev. Wenceslaus Krzwonos, the new 
priest, on October 1 1896. Born in Bouk, Galicia, September 
28 1852 he was educated at Rycszow and at the age of twenty 
entered the Cracow Military Academy, later g-raduating- and be- 
coming- a lieutenant in the Fortieth Austrian Infantry for four 
3'ears, at the expiration of which time he came to America. 
After entering- a Benedictine Monastery in Missouri he was 
ordained a priest and served at St. Joseph, Missouri and later 
at South Chicago. He left the church on account of factional 
troubles in April 1903. There are connected with the church 
St. Adalbert's Society and the Ho'y Rosary Society, both large 
in membership. 

St. Michael's at Whitelaw or Pine Grove was established 
in 1872, a church being built a year later. It was a mission 
of the Clark's Mills congiegaliou until 1876 when the first 
resident pastor. Rev. Godfrey Noever was transferred from 
the Rapids church, the latter at the time being- discontinued 
and its congreg-ation divided. Later Clark's Mills priests 
again had St. Michael's under their charg-e but Rev. Joseph 
Henxrner a,ssuined the duties of priest at the place in 1896, ber 



213 

ing- succeeded the next year by Rev. Joseph Mack. A branch 
of the C. K. W. was org-anized at Whitelaw in July 1894. 

On November 9 1869 Rev. Joseph Fessler of Manitowoc in- 
duced four sisters to take the vows and steps were immediate- 
ly taken towards the building- of a convent at Alverno, the 
structure being- completed in September of the following- 
year. Sister Odelia was the first mother superior and the 
number of sisters gradually g-rew until it reached twenty five 
or thirty. To accommodate these and also the inhabitants of 
that part of the county St. Joseph's Church was constructed 
in 1874 and placed for a time under the care of Father Fessler 
of Manitowoc. On his removal from the state in 1880 Rev. 
Georg-e Fessler assumed charg-e, which he retained until 1885 
when on May 28th he died at the ag-e of thirty seven. Dur- 
ing his pastorate, on September 1 1881, the convent burned, the 
loss being about $65,000 but by dint of great effort the structure 
was speedily rebuilt and continued its successful existence, 
many hundred young people receiving instruction. A chapel 
was built in 1890 to accommodate the sisters. The successors 
of Father Fessler have been Revs. A. J. Gerhard 1885, I. P. 
Van Treck 1885-1887, H. Neihaus 1887-1888. P. H. Welbes 
1888-1890, M. Oberlinkels 1890-1892. Rev. Norbert W. Dicn- 
inger assumed charge in 1892. 

Among the churches later established was St. Peter's and 
Paul's at Kiel. During several years it was a mission of St. 
Anna's in Sheboygan County but in 1892 Rev. G. Weisse was 
appointed, followed in 1896 by Rev. M. J. Schmitz, who had 
just graduated from St. Francis. 

On May 10 1889 the Poles at Two Rivers, who were a part 
of the congregation of St. Luke's, separated and established 
Sacred Heart Church. Rev. F. Luczycki was the first priest, 
being succeeded by Revs. Chelkocki, Bozwiacki, Geruss, Pod- 
licki, Mozejuski, Kubazeski and Pociecha. A new church 
was erected by the congregation in 1899. A church at Mishi- 
cot which, since its foundation in 1866, had been connected 
with St. Luke's also separated in 1898, Rev. A. Bastian and 
Rev. P. St. Louis being the first priests. 

A Catholic hospital, named the Holy Family, was erected 



214 

in Manitowoc in the latter nineties at a great expense and 
forms one of the most important public institutions in the 
county, having- been designated as a marine hospital b}' the 
United States Government. 

Sacred Heart Congregation composed of English speaking 
Catholics was organized in 1902 in Manitowoc under Father 
O'Leary's guidance. The building formerly known as St. 
James' Episcopal was purchased but efforts were immediately 
put forth to secure a site for a larger church, land being pur- 
chased at the corner of State and North Seventh streets. 

LUTHEKAN. 

Many of the first German settlers who came to Manitowoc 
County were members of the Lutheran denomination and it 
was only natural that efforts should early be made at the es- 
tablishment of a church. Thus it was that in the summer of 
1851 the residents of the town of Newton formed a congrega- 
tion, led by Rev. C. F. Goldamm:r, a man of great spiritual 
gifts who saw many years of useful ministration in Wisconsin. 
A rough church was built and the worshippers, although few 
in number, took inach interest in the enterprise. Rev. Gold- 
ammer was not a man to limit his usefulness and as early as 
1851 he came to Manitowoc every second week to hold services 
with a few families. For years these gathering's took place 
in the old district school at the corner of South Seventh and 
Washington streets. B^inally on April ^ 1855 St. John's con- 
gregation was organized in the village with thirty families 
in church connection and it was decided to call Rev. Goldam- 
mer to the parish. He accepted and a church, parsonage and 
school were completed the following year the latter being 
enlarged in 1859 to meet the growing demands. The church 
was a frame structure 35 by 50 feet in dimensions, which was 
capable of seating about four hundred people. In 1858 Rev. 
Goldammer left for Burlington, Wis. and Rev. Philip Koehler 
accepted the work and responsibilit}^ for the next nine years. 
In 1861 the congregation had a membership of ninety-one 
families; in 1865 the report shows 184 families and 193 child- 
ren in school attendance. B}^ act of the legislature March 23 
1866 the congregation was incorporated and in the same yea,r 



215 

a new school was erected, which continued to do duty for 
twenty-five years until it was taken away to make room for 
the present structure. Rev. Koehler left in 1867 and was 
succeeded by Rev. M. Quehl. It was during- his pastorate, 
that, the old church proving- utterly inadequate, it was de- 
cided to build a new brick structure. The building was com- 
pleted in 1873 at a cost of $16,000 and is one of the most com- 
modious in the cit}-. By this time Rev, K. Huebner had taken 
up pastoral work in the city but after two years' service he 
g-ave way, in 1874, to Rev. G. Thiele, later of Milwaukee. 
Rev. F. Pieper assumed charg-e in 1876, followed by Rev. R. 
Pieper in 1878. Two years later the Synod of Minnesota and 
Wisconsin met at St. John's and the church was again chosen 
as the g-athering- place in 1894. In February 1891 Rev. Karl 
Machmueller, the present pastor, assumed charg-e and has as- 
sisted materially in the development of church life. The 
congreg-ation numbers 435 families and there are 250 children 
in attendance at the school. A thriving- ladies' society is 
maintained in connection with the church. 

As early as 1861 occasional Lutheran services were held in 
the village of Two Rivers but it was not until 1863 that St. 
John's Cong-regation was org-anized by Rev. H. Barthels, a 
missionarj^ pastor of the church. In the same year "the little 
brown church" built and owned by the Episcopals was pur- 
chased from Bishop Kemper and was used as a place of wor- 
ship by the new congreg-ation. Rev. Barthels remained until 
the latter part of 1865 and was succeeded by Rev. Braun and 
under his pastorate a parsonage was built. In October 1869 
Rev. Braun was succeeded by Rev. Zuberbier, who died in the 
midst of his activities in 1872, whereupon Rev. C. Jaeg-er as- 
sumed pastoral duties for six years, he now being- a resident 
of Racine. His successor was Rev. P. Lucas, who passed 
away at Two Rivers July 28 1881, Rev. J. P. Koehler then 
taking- up the work. He remained seven years, at the end of 
which time he resig-ned to accept a position as professor in 
the North->vestern Theolog-ical Seminary at Watertown. It 
was under his g-uidance that the cong-reg^ation decided to 
build a new church edifice. I'he building- operations, how- 



216 

ever, were carried on by his successor. Rev. A. F. Sieg-ler, 
the dedication taking- place in 1889. In September 1892 the 
present pastor, Rev. C. A, F. Doehler, assumed charg-e of the 
church and under his leadership it has prospered, numbering- 
now about nine hundred communicants. The school, started 
at the same time as the church, was for ten years under the 
care of the pastors but from that time on teachers were hired 
and the institution now numbers 1()0 scholars. Two frame 
structures are utilized for school purposes, one of them being- 
the old church. 

The Newton church, the oldest in the county led a very 
successful career, celebratin.g its golden anniversary in Sep- 
tember 1901. Among- the pastors. have been Revs. C. Wagner, 
E. Strube, A. Pieper and Christian Sieker. In the town of 
Centerville two churches of the Lutheran denomination exist 
St. John's Congregation was orga iized in 1860 with forty 
members and a church was built the next year. Seven years 
later St. Peter's was org-anized and a church built. One pas- 
tor has continued to serve both, the list being as follows: — 
Revs. M. Quehl 1862-1867, C. Dowidat 1869 1875, F. Pieper 
1875-1877, J. Haase 1877-1883, C. Jaeger 1883-1887, P. 
Spreng-ling- 1887. St. John's numbers seventy-two members 
and St. Peter's forty-six. Among the other early churches 
w^as that established at Reedsville. Rev. Goldammer held 
occasional services in the neig-hborhood during his Manitowoc 
pastorate and in the early sixties Revs. C. Gauschwitz and C. 
Braun were sent to the parish, the latter leaving- in 1865 to 
take up his duties in Two Rivers. There were about twenty- 
five communicants at the time and under Rev. A Klug-e, who 
came in 1865, the cong-regation was increased and in 1869 St. 
Johannes and Jacobus Church was org-anized. Rev. Kluge 
remained fifteen years and in 1879 a new church was erected, 
replacing- the earlier one built twenty 3'ears before. Rev. A. 
Topel served as pastor for seven years, at the end of which 
time the present minister. Rev. Phillip Brenner, was called. 
A parochial school with seventy scholars is maintained. In 
1878 a church was established in the town of Gibson with C. 
Jaeg-er as pastor, he being- succeeeed by Rev. P. Kionji^,, 



217 

The Larrabee church dates from 1884, the pastors since that 
time having- been Revs. H. Prohl 1884-1888, H. Bruss 1888- 
1890, and the present minister, H. Mueller. The same year 
also witnessed the beginning- of a church atRosecrans, served 
consecutively by Revs. A. W. Kubel and Christian Sieker. 
At Niles in the town of Eaton a church was started in 1893 
by Rev. W. Schlei, who has since officiated as pastor and in 
the same year Rev. H. Zarwell began his ministrations at 
a church established at Rube, being- transferred to the Liber- 
ty Church later, his successor being- Rev. F. Weertz. Rev. 
Schlei officiates at present, also, in a church built at Collins. 

A mission church has existed for some years at Mishicott 
being- served by Two Rivers ministers. Of late, however. 
Rev. Vater, a resident pastor, has had charg-e. 

Not only were there many German settlers of the Luth- 
eran faith but a large number of the Scandinavian race as 
well. In the latter forties many Norwegians settled in the 
towns of Liberty and Eaton and a few joined the Episcopal 
Church under Rev. Unonius. However they soon became 
strong- enoug-h to form a society of their own at Gjerpen, 
which was one of the oldest Norweg-ian settlements in the 
state. The church was organized October 4, 1850 and Rev. 
H. A. Stueb was called as the first pastor. Rev. Stueb 
was born in Bergen, May 13 1822 and came to America at the 
ag^e of twenty-six and for many years was a leading- figure in 
Wisconsin Lutheranism. After two years he was succeeded 
by Rev. J. A. Otteson, who was twenty-seven years old at 
the time, having- come directly from Norway to his charg-e. 
Within three years he had established cong-reg-ations at Man- 
itowoc, Liberty, Maple Grove and Valders, making- the cir- 
cuit of the churches at as close intervals as time would allow 
him. Both Revs. Stueb and Otteson are still living- and the 
former was present at the semi-centennial exercises held at 
Gjerpen in October 1900. In 1864 a church, the largest then 
in existence in the county, was dedicated at Liberty. The 
structure was 90 by 40 feet in dimensions and cost $4000, it 
being- the scene of the Lutheran Synod two years later. Rev. 
ti, M, Biorn had by this time .undertaken pastoral ^v^ork in 



218 

the county, having- the five churches under his supervision. 
For years the Manitowoc society met in the district school but 
in 1865 the construction of a chtirch at the corner of North 
Eig"hth and State streets was commenced. When completed 
and ready for occupancy on Christn:as day 1867 the building- 
had cost $5000 and was capable of seating- Lve hundred peo- 
ple, being- 50 by 70 feet in dimensi(jns. It was rebuilt and 
g-reatly beautified in 1899. Rev. Biorn continued as pastor of 
the church until 1879, when he resigned and was succeeded 
by Rev. C. F. Magelson. In 1880 the Synod of the church 
met at Manitowoc. In February 1893 Rev. J. A. Haug-en as- 
sumed charge of the city cong-reg-ation, remaining- five years. 
At the end of his pastorate the congreg-ation was divided, 
those denoted as the Miasourians retaining the old church 
and calling Rev. P. R. Thorsen as pastor while the Anti- 
Missourians formed a new organization under the name of 
St. Paul's. This division, however, merely emphasized the 
separate organizations which had existed since 1874. The 
orig-inal St. Paul's Congregation had been organized on Feb- 
ruary 24th of that year and had constructed a church at the 
corner of North Seventh and St. Clair streets although the 
same pastor preached in the two churches for many years. 
In the fall of 1898 a new brick church was constructed by the 
parish three blocks west of the old site at a cost of $10,000, 
being dedicated March 19 1899. Rev. E. T. Rogne of Austin, 
Minn, was called to the pastorate and the congregation has 
led a very harmonious existence. 

St. Paul's maintains a very successful branch of the 
Luther League, the Wisconsin convention of that organiza- 
tion being held in the city in the summer of 1901. A branch 
of the Luther Alliance is an adjunct of the older church and 
active ladies' societies are connected with both. A new Luth- 
eran Church was erected at Valders during the fall of 1899, 
while the church at Gjerpen, which had been constructed in 
1856 was thoroughly reconstructed in the same year at a cost 
of $10,000. Rev. C. Alfson has for some years past had charge 
of the country congregations. 



219 

CONG K EG AT ION At. 

When Rev. W Herritt came to Manitowoc County in 
1850 he set about establishing- at Two Rivers a Congreg-a- 
tional Church. On Januar}- l7th of the next year the plans 
were consummated by the foundation of the First Church, 
which was attached to the Milwaukee district, later being- 
transferred to the Winnebag'o district. At first the congre- 
g-ation numbered but fourteen members although the averag^e 
Sunday school attendance was about seventy. After Rev. 
Herritt's removal D. Pinkerton acted as pastor until 1857, 
when he was succeeded by Rev. M. C. Stanley. Just before 
the latter's arrival a church had been erected, one of the old- 
est in the county now standing-. The pastor was called to 
Manitowoc a year after beginning his ministry and was suc- 
ceeded by Rev.^ H. Pierpont, the father of Judge Pierpont, 
who increased the membership to nearly fifty and maintained 
a thriving- Sunday school. From I860 on, however, the 
church declined and having no pastor, finally passed out of 
existence. Rev. Pierpont removed to New York and died at 
Rochester in 1871. In 1867 Rev. Charles W. Wilson, a mis- 
sionar}^ of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of America 
arrived in Two Rivers and reestablished the cong-reg-ation. 
After ten years of faithful labor he passed away and Rev. 
Thomas G. Pearce was called, he again instituting- Cong-re- 
g-ational forms. The church membership at the time was 
but eleven. In November 1877 he was succeeded by Rev. I). 
M. Wooley, who in turn gave way to Rev. Sidney B. Demar- 
est in March two years later. Rev. Demarest was a native 
of New York and was fifty-five years of ag-e at the time he 
assumed pastoral duties at Two Rivers. He was a graduate 
of Western Reserve College and the Chicago Theolog-ical 
Seminary and officiated at several points in Wisconsin before 
his death, which occurred on Aug-ust 14 1887 at Waupaca. 
His successor was Rev. David B. Spencer, Two Rivers being- 
his first charg-e. He was an energ-etic young- man and in a 
few months had increased the membership to fifty but in 
June he left for Hartland and the church discontinue .1 ser- 
vices for a number of years. 



220 

In 1890, however, another effort was made, described in 
the Cong-reg-ational Report as follows: — "At Two Rivers 
there was once a church but the life has gone out of it and its 
name removed from the names of the living-. There has 
been this year a new church org-anized on the spot out of 
Methodists, Presbyterians, Cong-reg-ationalists and Episco- 
palians under most happy auspices. Complete harmony ex- 
ists among- the Christians. They have sustained services five 
months, have called Rev, Alexander Chambers and will raise 
among- themselves the larg-er part of his salary. This is 
practically a new church and the only one in the Eng-lish 
tong-ue in a population of 3500 souls." Rev. Chambers ac- 
cepted the call and soon the church was a thriving- one of 
thirty members. He was succeeded by Rev. John N. David- 
son, a local historian of some note, in 1893 and two years later 
a branch was started among- the Eng-lish residents of Two 
Creeks. Rev. Davidson resig-ned in February 1901 to accept 
a call from Dousman, Wis. and was succeeded by Rev. T. W. 
Cole, of Ivanhoe, 111. The church todav numbers about fifty 
members and a Sunday school of over one hundred pupils is 
maintained. A Christian Endeavor Society was established 
in 1893 and later another in connection with the Two Creeks 
church. 

A Cong-reg-ational church was established in Maple Grove 
in 1853 with fourteen members. Rev. Israel C. Holmes, 
father of Rev, Mead Holmes, was the first reg-ular pastor and 
soon had a thriving- Sunday school established. After about 
seven years, however, the services were discontinued and the 
cong-reg-ation dissolved. 

BAPTIST. 

Althoug-h the Baptist denomination has not played a very 
prominent part in Manitowoc county there have been several 
churches of the sect within its borders. The only one in 
which the English language was used was established at 
School Hill in 1856 by Rev. Joseph Jeffreys. Rev. Jeffreys 
was a Welshman by birth and was ordained in Wisconsin. 
In his first report he said: — "This is an entirely new field 



221 

among- our Welsh people, settled in the forests along- the lake 
shore" and told how "the Macedonian cry for help" had been 
sent to the Baptist convention of 1855. The pastor preached 
in Welsh at the morning- and in Eng-lish at the evening ser- 
vices but during- the first year the congreg-ation gained but 
one member. The minister remained two years and then 
there was an interim of seventeen years, in which there were 
no reg-ular services held with the exception of a short time in 
1863 when Rev. P. Work officiated. A new church was con- 
structed in 1873 and two year's later Rev. H. A. Sears was 
sent to the parishes of School ilill and Plymouth^ Sheboygfan 
County. He was born in Springfield, N. Y. in 1818 and had 
been in Wisconsin since 1843. He died at Beaver Dam soon 
after leaving his pastoral duties in Manitowoc. During his 
three years of ministry the cong-regation increased from thir- 
ty to fifty and a thriving- Sunday school was established. 
Rev. W. H. Whitelaw was the pastor in 1879 and then 
there was a vacancy until 1881, when for three years Rev. A. 
T. Miller of Sheboygan Falls officiated on alternate Sab- 
baths, being- succeeded by Rev. Edward Jones in 1884. Rev. 
Jones died while engag-ed in his duties a year later and after 
an interim of three years Rev. J. Phillips assumed charg-e for 
some time. In 1792 Rev. Miller of Sheboyg-an Falls resumed 
his visits to the church, being- succeeded in 1894 by Rev. A. 
Goodwin, in 1895 by Rev. S. W. Wiltshire of Sun Prairie and 
in 1898 by Rev. Thomas Davis, services being- held every 
fourth Sabbath. The church at present numbers over thirty 
members and is situated in the Milwaukee district. 

A German Baptist church was established on South Sev- 
enth Street in the village of Manitowoc in 1866 by Rev. C. 
Kleppe, a missionar3^ He held meetings at various points 
in the county but died at his work in 1867. He was succeeded 
by Rev. Theodore Klinker, tlie church numbering- then about 
fifty members and in 1872 Rev. R. Haab assumed charg-e, 
which he retained for two years, being- followed by Rev. A. 
Freitag for a 3'ear. After a vacancy of five years Rev. J. 
Miller of Watertown became the pastor and soon a Sunday 
school was started. After four years he gave way to Rev. M. 



222 

Schwendetier of Kewaskum but the latter'sstay was brief and 
a long- vacancy ensued. Rev. Freitag- established another 
German Baptist church in the town of Kossnth ip 1875, which 
soon gfrew to a membership of sixt}'. It was served jointly 
with Manitowoc until 1887, when Rev. M. Schwendener as- 
sumed chargfe. After a vacancy of live 3^ears Rev. G. Eng-el- 
mann of Freedom, Wis. came to the church in 1892 but re- 
mained only a year. In 1896 Rev. P. Hoffmann of LeRoy be- 
came the pastor and has since acted as such. 

GERMAN REFORMED. 

The first attempt at the org-anization of a church of the 
German Reformed denomination in the county occurred in the 
town of Newton in 1851, at which time a church was built, 
served for three years by Rev. Goldammer. A church was. 
also built at Centerville and the two were served by Revs. J. 
F. Kluge (1854-1858) and Chr. Schiller (1856-1862) but on 
March 10 1862 they separated. The org-anization in Newton 
is known as the Reformed Salem Ebenezer Congreg-ation and 
has been served by the following pastors: -Revs. J. Blaetgen 
1863-1866, T. Grosshuesch 1867-1873, G. Zindler 1874-1879, 
W. Walenta 1879-1883, T. Grosshuesch 1883-1887 and D. W. 
Vriesen 1887 on. A new church building- was erected in 1876. 
The ministers of the Centerville church have been Revs. 
Jean Grab, F. Nullhorst, John Blaetg-en, E. Scheidt, H. 
Schenk, W. Lienkaemper, E. W. C. Brueckner and R. A. 
Most. In 1867 a church was built at Kiel, Rev. Praikschatis 
being- the first pastor. He was succeeded by Rev. Schoepfle, 
who in turn gave way in 1871 to L. W. Zenk. For twenty 
years the latter faithfully served the church and under his 
pastorate a new edifice was erected in 1889. His successor 
was the present pastor. Rev. John Roeck. 

The church in the city of Manitowoc dates from March 
25 1868, on which date the cong-reg-ation was formed by twelve 
families. The first'preacher was Rev. Jacob Lolka, who re- 
mained but a few months. During- his pastorate a lot was 
purchased and a -small frame church costing- $800 was 
erected. Rev. Lotka's successors have been: — Revs. Georg-e 
Windemuth 1869-1870, Paul Schoetke 1871, Henry Ruster- 




MRS, S. C. BLAKE 
First White Girl Born in Manitowoc County 



223 

holz 1872-1874, E. W. Henschen 1875-1880, G. Zindler 1881- 
1886, D. R. Huecker 1886-1889, C. Bonekemper 1889-1891 and 
L. W. Zenk, the present pastor. In 1889 it was deemed nec- 
essary to build a new church and a brick edifice costing- ^7000 
was accordingly erected. The present membership is about 
350. A mission was established by Rev. E. W. Henschen at 
Branch in 1879 and a church built there, which is still in use. 
The membership is about sixty. 

EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION. 

In 1856 Rev. William Siekoreik, a missionary of the 
Evangelical Association visited Two Rivers and succeeded in 
forming a nucleus, which on July 16 1859 became a duly or- 
g-anized congregation. A church was built that year on Pine 
Street and Rev. Peter Held called to the pulpit, which he oc- 
cupied for two years His successors during the sixties and 
early seventies were Rev. William F. Schneider, J. Banzhaf, 
J. H. Hammetter, E. Bockermuehl, L. G. Stroebel, W. Witten- 
weyler, J. Koch, G. Schwantes, D. Herb and F. Dite. Rev. 
George Hun, the next pastor was succeeded by Rev. F. Huel- 
ster, under whose guidance a new church, 60 by 40 feet, was 
erected. His successor was Rev. J. C. Runkel, who left for 
Milwaukee in May 1885, being succeeded temporarily by Rev 
Nickel and then permanently by Rev. M. Finger. The latter 
left for Berlin in 1888 and then Rev. J. G. Kern took up the 
work for two years, when Rev. Richard Eilert assumed 
charge. After three years service he left and his place was 
taken by Rev. Droegkamp of Sister Bay and later by Rev. F. 
J. Siewert. The present pastor, C. W. Schlueter has brought 
the congregation up to a large number, it now embracing- 180 
members. Two churches of the denomination have been 
maintained for some years in the town of Cooperstown, they 
being attended by the resident pastors of Morrison, Brown 
County, Rev. A. Lutz being the present minister. Another 
church at Reedsville, is a part of the Calumet parish and is 
administered at present b}- Rev. H. W. Lutz of that county. 
Meetings are occasionally held in Rockland and Eaton as 
well. 



224 

GERMAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH. 

Late in the eig"hties a mission of the German Evang-eli- 
cal Church was org-anized in the town of Meeme, Rev. J. 
Holzapfel of Mosel, Sheboyg-an County officiating-. This has 
been since maintained and is still a mission. On January 4 
1891 Rev. J. K. O. Ritzmann, now retired, organized the St.. 
John's German Evangelical Church at Manitowoc. The first 
pastor was Rev. Emil Albert, who left in the fall of 1893, ac- 
cepting a call to a charg-e at Oshkosh where he still resides. 
His successor was Rev. John Heinrich who remained until the 
summer of 1896. For the succeeding two years the church 
was connected with other charges, being served successively 
by the pastors of Oshkosh and Brillion but this not proving 
practicable, the church again received a pastor in the sum- 
mer of 1898, Rev. M. Rosenfeld. He remained until the fall 
of 1900, the present pastcvr. Rev. Carl Nagel, then in Ohio, 
taking up the work on November 1st of that year in answer 
to a call by the missionary board of the synod. In 1901 the 
church building was moved to the corner of South Fifteenth 
and Marshall Streets and completely reconstructed. The 
membership is rapidly growing. Another church of the syn- 
od is located at Reedsville, being under the charge of the 
Brillion pastor, Rev. E. J. Fleer. 

JEWISH. 

During the later nineties the city of Manitowoc became 
the home of a goodly number of Jews, sufficient at last to 
warrant the holding of services. After a few informal gather- 
ings, on March 14 1900, the Ansha Polia Sadik Society was 
incorporated by I. Green. M. Stein, J. Sklute, M. Green, M. 
Phillips, M. Davidson, A. Schwartz, J. Phillips, D. Balkan- 
sky, S. Salicavitz, P. Schorney and J. Golden and regular 
meetings have since been held. In 1902 a synagogue was 
built. 

CHRISTIAN. 

During the winter of 1895-96 revival services were held 
by the Christian or Campbellite Church at Manitowoc. An 
immersion of a number of the converts of the sect occurred 



226 

at the Little Manitowoc February 28 1896 and since that time 
the members have met reg-ularly at private homes, F. J. Ives 
acting- as leader for a time. During- 1901 Elder Stark of 
the church made frequent visits to the cong-regation. 

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE. 

Interest in the doctrines of Christian Science was awak- 
ened in Manitowoc to a considerable deg-ree in the decade 1890- 
1900 and the result was the formation of a society in 1899. A 
hall was rented and reg-ular meeting-s have since been held. 
Miss Jerauld has officiated as local reader and outside speak- 
ers have frequently been secured. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

There have been in the county several societies doing- 
Christian work along- interdenominational lines, whose record 
is of interest. Among- the earliest of these was the Manito- 
woc Bible Society. This was org-anized at Manitowoc Rap- 
ids at a meeting- held in the courthouse February 18 1849, its 
object being- the distribution of copies of the Holy Book. O. 
C. Hubbard was chosen its first president and E. H. Ellis its 
secretary and treasurer. Its second meeting- was held in the 
Manitowoc schoolhouse, among- those present being- Rev. D. 
Lewis and Rev. Herritt. It has continued a useful existence 
ever since, many copies of the Bible being- distributed. In 
1860, for instance, when B. B. Cary was the agent, 1197 were 
placed in the homes of the county. Annual meeting-s are 
still held and C. F. Liebenow acts as the ag-ent. A similar 
society was organized in Two Rivers in 1873. 

Another important society was the Manitowoc County 
Sunday School Association. A preliminary meeting- for the 
formation of this society was held at the Presbyterian Taber- 
,nacle on Tuesday June 24 1861, which was opened by prayer 
by Rev. Mead Holmes. Rev. J. H. Dilling-ham was chosen 
permanent chairman and reports were received to the effect 
that there were forty Sunday schools, numbering 1500 schol- 
ars, a g-oodly proportion in a county which then had but 24,- 
000 inhabitants all told. Messrs. Carey, Groffman and Can- 
rig-ht were chosen a committee on permanent org-anization 



226 

and the following- were the officers first elected: — President, 
C. S. Canrigfht; Vice President, Georg-e Groffmann; Secretary, 
Rev. Mead Holmes; Treasurer, H. A. Shove. A vigilance 
committee was appointed in each township and for some years 
annual meetings were held in June. The organization, how- 
ever, was but short lived. 

A branch of the Young Men's Christian Association was 
organized in Manitowoc in February 1888 and led an active 
existence for some years, using the Jones Library rooms. 
The first officers were: — President, Louis Sherman; Vice 
President^ Gottfried Esch; Corresponding Secretary, Dr. J. 
T. Martin; Recording- Secretary. Eugene C. Smalley; Treas- 
urer, H. Esch, Jr. The organization disbanded in the early 
nineties. A Sabbath Observance League in Manitowoc led 
an equally short career a little later. 



CHAPTER XII. 



SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS. 



In the history of every community the part played by the 
social, benevolent and fraternal orders is always of the ut- 
most importance and in that reg-ard Manitowoc County pre- 
sents no exception. There is no doubt that org-anizations of 
this kind promote a feeling- of interdependence and social 
cohesion that is very salutary in its effects. Many of the or- 
ders in Manitowoc have in the first years of their existence 
been compelled to underg-o strug-g-les to maintain their life 
but that fact has made their development in later years all 
the strong-er. 

FRATERNAL. 



MASONIC. 

Most prominent among fraternal org-anizations are the 
Masonic orders. On February 16 1856 a dispensation was 
g-ranted for the formation of Manitowoc Lodg-e No. 65 F. & 
A. M. The first ofi&cers elected were Rev. Melancthon Hoyt, 
Worshipful Master; Peleg Glover, Senior Warden; Thomas 
Windiate, Junior Warden; John L. Lee, Treasurer; D. F. 
Austin, Secretary and J. H. Roberts, Tyler. The original 



228 

number of brothers were twenty: —W. H. Glover, Michael 
Fellows, C. W. Fitch, W. W. Waldo, F. W. Nolan, A. Witt- 
mann. H. Rassel, G. S. Glover, D. H. Van Valkenburg-h, W. 
J. Potter, Charles Palmer, E. D. Beardsley. S. W. Carpenter, 
W. Barber, T. C. Shove, P. P. Smith, E. K. Rand, R. B. 
Musson, M. Backus and P. Reiley. This lodge has contin- 
ued in existence ever since, with a constantly increasing- 
membership. In 1875 there were sixty-three members, in 
1880 eighty-two, in 1885 the same, in 1890 eighty-four and in 
1895 ninety-one. Rev. Hoyt was honored by being chosen 
grand chaplain of the state in 1856, a position held by anoth- 
er Manitowoc brother, Rev. Engle in 1863 and F. Borcherdt 
was Grand Pursuivant in 1860. 

On June 17 1858 a dispensation was granted to Tracy 
Lodge No. 107 F. & A. M., composed of twelve German Ma- 
sons, largely taken from the ranks of the older lodge. While 
the general committee did not recommend the establishment 
of a second lodge in so small a place as Manitowoc then was, 
the Grand Lodge permitted it and the lodge continued to ex- 
ist for some years, the charter being taken back, however, in 
April 1868. The first officers were F. Borcherdt, W. M.; D. 
Gerpheide, S. W.; and August Wittmann J. W. Two Rivers 
secured a lodge, when a dispensation was granted July 15 1874 
for Two Rivers Lodge No. 200 F. & A. M., the officers being 
Dr. A. J. Patchen, W. M.; A. Hudson, S. W.; E. W. Young, 
J. W.; J. M. Conine, Treasurer; H. G. Fischbein, Secretary; 
Evan Evans, Tyler. Among the other members were J E. 
Hamilton, C. H. Jennison, D. Nottage, D. Van Nostrand, Jr. 
and Alexander Wood. Grand Master Cottrill installed the 
lodge and it has increased in membership until it numbered 
in 1900 about forty. 

Manitowoc Chapter No. 16 Royal Arch Masons was 
founded by a dispensation granted April 4 1857 by the Grand 
Chapter. About fifteen gentlemen were among the charter 
members and officers were elected as follows: — Rev. M. Hoyt. 
High Priest; Ury Blake, King and W. R. Marvin, Scribe. A. 
W. Bowman, a member of the chapter was chosen Grand 
Principal Sojourner of the state in 1859. Depletion in the 



229 

ranks, however, caused the chapter to be dropped in 1863, but 
it was ag-ain revived with nine members eleven years later. 
Among- the members who have occupied positions in «Lhe 
Grand Chapter are Dr. J. F. Pritchard, G. B. Burnett and 
Clarence Hill. At present its membership numbers about 
eighty. The Masonic Lodg-e in Manitowoc occupies an ele- 
g-ant suite of rooms in the National Bank building-. 

ODD FELLOWS. 

In his report to the Grand Lodg-e of Wisconsin Odd Fel- 
lows in 1849 Grand Master Baird said: "In the county of 
Manitowoc there is as yet no lodg-e of the order but probably 
application will before long" be made for the formation of one, 
as I am informed there are several members of the order re- 
siding- in the county." As proof of his prediction there came 
about the application and g-ranting- of a charter to Chicker- 
ming- Lodg-e No. 55 in July 1850 and on April 16 1851 the 
lodg-e was instituted by Deputy Grand Master Adams and 
Godfrey Stramm of Shebojgan and Mark Brainerd and W. 
H. Cole of Sheboygan Falls. The membership numbered ten 
and upon the next day the following- officers were chosen: — 
Noble Grand, W.W.Waldo; Vice Grand, B. D. Beardsley; 
Recording- Secretary, J. L. Kyle; Treasurer, P. P. Smith. 
Said the report of that year, "The prospects of Chicker- 
ming- Ivodg-e, I think, are very good. Some of the best men 
of Manitowoc are members of the lodge." Among these 
"best men" were W. Bach, E. L. Abbott, G. W. Durgin, A. 
Baensch, K. K. Jones, Dr. Zeilley, W. Murphy, L. Sherman, 
O. Torrison, F. Salomon, C. W. Fitch and G. E. Lee. Among 
the earlier Noble Grands were E. D. Beardsley, J. L. Kyle 
and M. Fellows and soon the lodge became prominent in the 
grand lodge of the state, S. W. Smith being Grand Master in 
1864, H. F. Hubbard in 1868 and Rev J. M, Craig in 1885, 
the last two named also being representatives of Wisconsin 
in the Sovereign or National Grand Lodge. For two years 
in the later fifties there were few meetings held and during 
the war it was with difficulty that the lodge survived but 
since that time it has led a remarkably successful career. In 



230 

1875 its membership was 11, in 1880 114, in 1885 145, in 1890 
127, in 1895 120 and in 1900 114. The lodg-e has owned its 
own hall for a number of 3'ears. 

In 1853 Two Rivers Lodg-e No. 66 was instituted, meet- 
ing- Saturdays. W. Aldrich was prominent in the order and 
in 1857 became the Grand Master of the state. The corner- 
stone of an Odd Fellow's Hall was laid on February 28 1874 
and numerous festive occasions have been g-iven by the Two 
Rivers lodg-e, to which Manitowoc brothers have been in- 
vited. The lodg-e numbered in 1875 59 members, 71 in 1885, 
46 in 1895 and 36 in 1900. 

Many of the Odd Fellows were Germans and thus in 1871 
Manitowoc Lodg-e No. 194 was instituted by them, C. Zander 
being- chosen Noble Grand and A. Grcve Vice Grand. The 
lodg-e in 1900 numbered about sixty members. In 1872 Kiel 
Lodg-e No. 212 was org-anized, being- consolidated with the 
Manitou Lodg-e of Rhine, Sheboygan County in 1900. There 
were in 1900 about thirty members. On February 16 1894 
Reedsville Lodg-e No. 237 was instituted and the following- 
officers chosen:,— W. H. Noble, N. G.; W. G. Hag-enow, V. G. 
J. F. Sha}', Secretary; J. Dumas, P. S.; W. Mueller, Treas- 
urer. A lodg-e of the Rebecca order was org-anized by the 
German ladies of Two Rivers in 1871 under the name of Lydia 
Lodge No. 22, but it was dropped after an existence of seven- 
teen years. Fredonia Lodg-e, Daug-hters of Rebecca No. 58 
at Manitowoc, org-anized in 1891 lasted but seven years. Its 
first officers were Lena Stolze, N. G.; M. E. Reardon, V. G.; 
Addie Boecher, R. S. and for a time it had about fifty mem- 
bers. 

I. o. G. T. 
Manitowoc county was the scene of much activity on the 
part of the Independent Or.kr of Good Templars in ear!}- 
days. The earliest lodg-e to be org-anized was that at Two 
Rivers, where on July 19 1855 Evening- Star No. 3 beg-an its 
existence, it being- one of the first in the state. After a life 
of eig-ht years it surrendered its charter. At Manitowoc 
PJ^oenix Lodge No, 119 was organized March 12 1859 by IvOt 



231 

cal Deputy Ramsdell but its existence numbered but four 
years. On February 9 1861 Good Intent Lodgre was org-an- 
ized at Branch by Local Deputy Whelan, among- the members 
being- Bryan Mason, Jane Eatough, David Greenman, Sarah 
Linscott, W. Eatough, G. Gibson, J. Mclvor, J. Smith, El- 
nathan Phelps, Charles McAllister, Sarah Gibson, Caroline 
Smith and N. Pierce. The lodge discontinued meetings in 
1864. Union Lodge No. 257 was organized at Manitowoc in 
1862 but had scarcely begun its existence before it was 
dropped. In 1866 two more short lived lodges were instituted. 
Oasis No. 364 at Maple Grove and Olive Branch No. 365 at 
Cato. In the latter village another, Phoenix No. 163 was 
called into being in 1879, although it, too, soon ceased to 
have animation. Another attempt in the city of Manitowoc 
was made in June 1880, when Sprague Lodge No. 231 was in- 
stituted, C. F. Smalley being the local deputy but by 1884 it 
was dropped from the list. Briar Lodge No. 154 at Two Riv- 
ers was equally short lived as was Lodge No. 345 in the same 
city, organized by Professor Marsh in 1889. Two others, 
Larrabee No. 95 at Larrabee and Crystal Fountain No. 77 at 
Cato, also failed to remain active. Niles Lodge No. 358, or- 
ganized in 1894, however, is still in existence. Various ju- 
venile lodges have been in existence in the county also. 

SONS OP HERMANN. 

It was on June 19 1856 that twelve German residents of 
the village of Manitowoc met together and organized Thus- 
nelda Lodge No. 7 of the Order of the Sons of Hermann, one 
of the earliest to be organized in the state. It was not, how- 
ever, the very earliest in the county, since Two Rivers Lodge 
No. 5 antedates' it by some months. Within a few years 
lodges were also started at Mishicot and Kiel, while a second 
lodge, Koerner No. 24 was instituted in Manitowoc. This 
was combined with the older organization in the later nine- 
ties, the joint membership being about seventy. The annual 
state convention of the order was held at Manitowoc in 1899 
and John Schreihart, a member of the local lodge, has been 
once a member of the grand lodge of the state. 



232 

A. O. U. \V. 

Clipper City Lodg-e No. 148 of the American Order of 
United Workmen was org^anized at Manitowoc November 26 
1878, followed by Mozart Lodge No. 23, made up of German 
residents, on August 21 1879. W. A. Walker was the first 
district deputy of the county and in 1884 became grand fore- 
man of the state, a year later being promoted to the position 
of Grand Master Workman. By that time Clipper City Lodge 
had over seventy members. Interest in the work of the order 
has been kept up with the passage of the years and the Mo- 
zart Lodge is still active. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Manitowoc Lodge No. 86 of the Knights of P3^thias was 
organized on December 4 1890 and has since led a very suc- 
cessful existence. The original membership was less than 
thirty but it had reached about sixty by 1901. 

Royal Iveague No. 42 was organized March 7 1888 with 
twent3^-nine members and its record has been one of rapid 
growth, the membership in 1901 'having attained eighty- 
seven. F. Schultz, a member of the local lodge, has been a 
member of the state advisory council. 

Manitowoc Lodge No. 69, Temple of Honor, organized in 
1876 for many years was active but lapsed in the later nine- 
ties. 

The only representative of the order of Royal Arcanum 
in the county is Lake Shore Council No. 505, instituted in 
1881, whose membership has been quite large. 

Lakeside Tent No. 65 K. O. T. M. was organized in 1895 
with about twenty members. Its numbers greatlj' increased 
until by 1901 it had in the neighborhood of ninety members. 
Another lodge of the Maccabees was organized at Two Riv- 
ers in July 1901 while a ladies' hive was established at Man- 
itowoc the same year. H. Hallock a member of Lakeside 
Tent has been honored with the position of State Finance 
Keeper. 

A branch of the Catholic Order of Foresters was organ- 
ized at Manitowoc in December 1894, Joseph Simon being 



233 

chosen Chief Rang^er. The order g-rew rapidly and it was 
not long- before a branch was connected with almost every 
Roman Catholic congregation in the county, as shown in the 
chapter on church history, the same being- also true of the 
Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, of which order Henry Mul- 
holland of Manitowoc was one of the founders. 

A more recent Catholic order, the Knig-hts of Columbus, 
has also succeeded in having- established in 1902 at Manito- 
woc a most energ-etic chapter. 

In 1898 a local branch of the Equitable Fraternal Union 
was established at Manitowoc and the membership in a few 
years reached over one hundred. 

The first lodg-e of Modern Woodmen to be instituted in 
the county was Minnehaha Camp No. 1285, which was started 
at Manitowoc in 1890 by Deputies Bull and Lincoln. A few 
months later a camp was started at Two Rivers and since 
1898 camps have also been added at Kiel, Reedsville, Coopers- 
town, Gibson, Centerville, Mishicot, Cato, Eaton, School Hill 
and Two Creeks. The first county convention was held in 
January 1899, Halvor Halvorsen acting- as chairman and the 
first county picnic occurred at Mishicot on Aug-ust 26 1901. 

Young-est, but not least, among- the fraternal orders of 
Manitowoc rank the Elks, org-anized with g-reat festivity on 
April 19 1901 with Ernst Wag-ner as Exalted Ruler of the 
local lodg-e. The membership soon reached a larg-e number. 

Among- the various other fraternal organizations, which 
have in the past filled a place in local life, have been Clipper 
City Lodge No. 9 of the order of Druids, Hope Lodg-e No. 363 
Knights of Honor, Manitowoc Council No. 1150 of the Le- 
g-ion of Honor and the National Fraternal Leag-ue No. 28. 

LITERARY ORGAISMZATIONS. 

One of the trst efforts made at self improvement along- 
literary lines was due to a coterie of Manitowoc young- men, 
who in the year 1856 org-anized the Young- Men's Institute, 
it being- incorporated by the leg-islatu;:e. The promoters 
were A. Ten Eyck, K. K. Jones, I. H. Parrish, G. L. Lee, 
W. Bach, B. Jones. E. D. Beardsley, C H. Walker, W. H. 



234 

Glover, O. H. Piatt, C. W. Fitch, S. A. Wood, A. Wittmann, 
E. K. Rand, S. W. Smith and G. W. Glover. The object was 
the holding" of annual courses of lectures and in this aim the 
society was successful for a number of j'ears. The first course 
offered included the following- lectures: — K. K. Jones on 
"Manitowoc, Its Past History, Present Progress and Future 
History," Rev. M. Hoyt on "Master Moderate," I. H. Parrish 
on "Russian War," W. W. Bates on "Manitowoc History and 
Shipbuilding in All Ages" and A. Ten Eyck on "The Sand- 
wxh Islands." Later courses comprised such speakers as 
Rev. Camp, of Sheboygan, Col. C. Robinson of Green Bay, 
Professor Bent of Boston, besides B. R. Anderson, Dr. Kaston 
and Rev. Engle of Manitowoc. In 1859 the Manitowoc Lit- 
erary and Scientific Society was formed by Jacob Lueps, S. 
A. Wood, W. Bach, W. Vette, C. W. Fitch, C. Hottelmann, 
R. Klingholz, H. Baetz, C. Walker and F. Salomon, the work 
of the society being interrupted by the war, which so soon 
broke out. 

A peculiar and yet most successful organization was the 
Burns Society, made up of many of the older Scotch residents 
of the county, which was formed in January 1S60 to celebrate 
with story and song- each recurrence of the birthday of the 
popular poet, Henry Sibree was chosen president, Peter 
Johnston vice president and G. W. Burnet secretary. For 
seven or eight 3'ears the association gathered at some con- 
genial spot to do honor to their countryman. Among the 
members were Robert McGavin, John Robinson, E. K. Rand, 
J. W. Barnes. T. E. Sullivan, J. Vilas, G. S. Glover, R. Mc- 
Guire, H. Mulholland, and M. Mahoney, some of whom, it 
will be observed, turned Scotch for the occasion. Similar to 
this was the g-athering of old English settlers at the Windi- 
ate House in 1872, although the association formed was not 
kept up. The Nordcn, a Norwegian literary semi-fraternal 
association has also led many years of prosperous existence. 
Among the more recent literary societies have been the 
Friday Night Literary Club, the Newman Club and the 
Drummond Club. In 1890 the Clio Club, an association of 
ladies, began its work and has since been the leading organir 



235 

zation of its kind in the cit}-, having- become affiliated with 
the State Federation of Women's Clubs. The Two Rivers 
Historical Association, whose purpose is evident from its 
name, was formed in February 1898 during- the Wisconsin 
Semi-Centennial movement. Literary societies have also 
been org-anized in the two cities and in a larg-e number of the 
country districts in connection with the public schools. 

MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS. 

It was only natural that among so many of the Teutonic 
race music should early be recognized as a bond that makes 
heart and soul akin. As an evidence of the realization there 
was formed in Manitowoc in the fall of 1847 a musical society, 
John Zins being- chosen conductor. The first concert was 
given on Washing-ton's Birthday of the following- year. The 
sing-ing society after seven 3"ears' existence was incorporated 
as the Freier Saengerbund in 1855, among- the promoters be 
ing W. Rahr, A. M. Richter, A. Richter, J. Roemer, J. Lueps, 
A. Berner, O. Troemmel, G. Schulz, P. Leubner, Henry 
Baetz, H. Lohe, J. Scherflus, F. Seeg-er, M. Vollendorf and 
W. Bach. The g-overnor vetoed the bill incorporating- the 
society for some reason but it passed over his head in the Sen- 
ate by a vote of 21 to 8 and in the Assembly by a vote of 62 
to 9. In a few years two more societies, Concordia and Har- 
monia were formed and in Two Rivers still another, Lieder- 
tafel was instituted. The Bohemians at Manitowoc also 
formed a singing society and they secured the state festival of 
similar org-anizations in 1888. The P^ourth Annual Saeng-erfest 
of Eastern Wisconsin was held in Manitowoc in June 1897, 
the event being larg-ely attended, while Kiel, which also has 
a musical society, entertained the g-athering- in 1901. 

Other musical org-anizations have also played an important 
part in the past. The earliest band org-anized was that of 
the Schmidt brothers, residents of Newton, succeeded by Prof. 
Bieling's Band, organized in the sixties, later led by Prof. 
Urban, the Lutheran Band, the Acme Band, Prof. Wein- 
schenk's numerous orchestras, the North Side Brass Band, or- 
g-anized in 1868 and the Polish Band, — all of Manitowoc, — 



236 

the Two Rivers Cornet Band and various smaller org-aniza- 
tions throug-hout the county. Among- the miscellaneous mu- 
sical societies of past and present may be mentioned the 
Monday Musical Club, organized in 1899, the Glee Club, the 
Lake Shore Mandolin and Guitar Club in existence during 
the latter nineties, and the various church choirs and choruses. 

DRAMATIC ORGANIZATIONS. 

To the German residents of the county, also, Manitoveoc 
owes the development of what has been done in the amateur 
dramatic art. In an article, appearing in the Nordwesten, 
A. Wittmann once told in a graphic manner of the first at- 
tempt to hold a German play in the village of Manitowoc. It 
was on Christmas Eve in 1848 that the attempt was made, all 
the actors being young- men recently arrived from the Father- 
land. The play chosen was, "Eckenste, der Nante" and in 
the cast were A. Bodenstab, C, Malmros, Richard Klingholz, 
W. Bach and A. Wittmann. A vacant room in the store of 
Bach and Kling-holz afforded an improvised theater, the dress- 
ing room being a side bedroom. The whole village turned 
out to see the production, — even the "Yankees" — and the af- 
fair, which was a g-rand success terminated with "schnaps." 
Thus passed the first effort at amateur dramatics in Manito- 
vvoc. It was not long before the German Theatrical AssQcia- 
tion was giving" popular plays. In the sixties the Bohemians 
also began to give occasional amateur productions in their 
language, a practice which they have since continued. The 
Manitowoc Dramatic Association was organized in 1874 and 
for some years gave dramatic entertainments, while in the 
latter nineties the Young- Peoples' Dramatic Club led a suc- 
cessful existence. 

ATHLETIC ORGANIZATIONS. 

Physical developments was an end early sought b}^ the 
German residents of Manitowoc County and the result was 
the formation of the Gymnastic Association on May 17 1854 
at Franklin Hall, the charter members being F. Salomon. 
Jacob Lueps, Col. W. Lozier, T. Clark and W. W. Waldo. 
Six years afterwards an association was incorporated as Der 



237 

Turnverein, the incorporators being- Charles Frase, F. Ebbert, 
J. Ho3^er, C. G. Heing-art, W. Hempscheme3^er, J. Deubler, H. 
Woerfel, G. Schweitzer, H. Schweitzer, H. Eckert and W. 
Leverenz. In 1865 a hall was built at the corner of South Sev- 
enth and Washing-ton streets at a cost of $8000 and in this 
hall g-ymnastic classes were started in 1872, having- been 
maintained under the g-uidance of competent instructors till 
1900. State Turnfests have been held at Manitowoc in 1867, 
1883 and 1895, the last being- attended by three thousand 
visitors. 

In June 1857 a Turnverein was organized at Two Rivers 
and a larg-e hall was erected by it ten years later. Another 
similar org-anization was founded at Centerville by the Ger- 
man residents in 1857 and societies have also existed at Kiel 
and Mishicot. The Bohemians of the city of Manitowoc also 
took an early interest in gymnastics and in 1864 built a small 
hall for this and theatrical purposes. Two years later the 
society known as the Slovanska Lipa was incorporated by Al- 
bert Fischer, F. Kostomlatsky, W. Kostomlatsky, J. Janecek, 
F. Stupecky, V. Stapecky, J. Brandeis, J. Falda, C. Salak, J. 
Mazena, V. Clement, D. Sternard, S. Skarywarda, M. Wahr- 
haneck, J. Skarywarda and L. Shimoneck. A new brick hall 
was erected on North Eighth Street in 1884, being- dedicated 
on November 1st with formal ceremonies, addresses being de- 
livered by Carl Jonas of Racine and L. J. Nash. 

Among" the various athletic sports of the county shooting- 
early took a prominent place. In February 1870 the leg-is- 
lature incorporated the Manitowoc Schuetzen Gesellschaft, 
composed of Fred Becker, A. Berner, G. Bloquelle, Fred Car- 
us, P. P. Fuessenich, A. Grosstueck, W. H. Hempschemej^er, 
E. Hollander, R. Kling-holz, P. Leubner, F. Stupecky, C. H. 
Schmidt, P. Wieboldt and W. Bach. The year preceding the 
Mishicot Schuetzen Verein had been formed, among- the pro- 
moters being- Louis Koehnke, H. Beyer, J. Lindstedt, S. C. 
Selk, P. Rau, W. Tisch and F. Halberg". The State Schuet- 
zenfest was held at the village in 1876. In 1880 the Manito- 
woc Shooting" Club was formed, succeeded nine years latsr by 
the Manitowoc Gun Club, which was active for some years. 



238 

The Two Rivers Gun Club was formed at about the same 
time, the club stocking extensive g^ame preserves near that 
city. 

Baseball was popular in Wisconsin, from an early time. 
In 1868 the papers recorded a game between the Manitowoc 
and Sheboygan Falls teams, in which the score was 104 to 
59 in favor of the former, the victors being Clark, Sherman, 
Smith, Knert, Nelson, Powers, Guyles, Reed and Woodin. 
In 1874 the Clipper Boy's Club was organized and a year later 
the Lakeside Baseball Clubw From that time on the national 
game gained in interest and teams were formed at Two Riv- 
ers and other points in the county, interest being particularly 
high in the early nineties. Football enthusiasm arose in 
1895 among the high school students and has since increased, 
there having been three or four teams in the county each fall. 
In 1884 the Manitowoc Bicycle Club was organized, succeeded 
when the ''safety" came into general use by a similar club 
with a large membership. In 1885 , boating was much in 
vogue and the Manitowoc Boat .Club was formed, of which 
G. Burnet was president and Albert Landreth vice president. 
A tennis club was formed in the nineties, a court on private 
grounds being utilized, and there have been also various oth- 
er miscellaneous organizations, such as the Tenpin League, 
the Skat Club, the Riding and Driving Association, etc. 

AGRICULTURAL A SOCIATIONS. 

Perhaps no one kind of societies has done so much for 
the advancement of the county's interests as those, which 
have, in the past, had charge of the various county fairs. 
The first meeting of the Manitowoc County Agricultural As- 
sociation was held on June 23 1857 and in October of that 
year the first fair was held, the site chosen being Washing- 
ton Square. For nine successive years fairs were held at this 
spot and the association thrived, its presidents in crder |of 
service being Jacob Lueps, C. Esslinger, J. F. Guyles and H. 
McAllister. In 1869 an attempt was made to reorganize and 
D. J. Easton was elected president but it met with little suc- 
cess. Five years later the Central Agricultural Society was 




MR. AND MRS, PETER STOKER 



239 

formed and for a number of years the fairs were held at 
Clark's Mills. These, however, failed of success and in No- 
vember 1883 the Manitowoc Industrial Association was formed 
with the following- officers: — President, F. Schuette; Secre- 
tary, W. A. Walker; Treasurer, O. Torrison. A plot of 
thirty-seven acres was i urchased northwest of the city of 
Manitowoc for $3150 and building-s erected, the first fair be- 
ing- held in October of the next year. Governor Rusk honor- 
ing- the occasion by his presence. Thereafter the fair became 
an annual institution and played an important part in the 
agricultural life. 

During- the Grang-e movement in 1874 a number of asso- 
ciations were formed by the farmers including one in Meenie. 
A County Dairy Association was formed in 1886 with W. 
Danforth as president and in 1898 the State Dairymen's As- 
sociation met in the city. Governor Scofield being- present. 
Since the org-anization of the Farmers Institutes many have 
been held iti accessible places in the county, proving of much 
value. In this connection it is interesting- to note that it was 
a Manitowoc man, C. E. Estabrook, who, when in the leg-is- 
lature, first introduced the system of institutes in Wisconsin. 

LABOR OWGANIZATIONS. 

Perhaps the earliest labor movement in the county was 
the formation of the Mechanics' Association of Manitowoc in 
September 1859. C. S. Canrig-ht was chosen president, W. 
Rahr vice president, J. Crowley secretary and E. J. Smalley 
treasurer. A committee on resolutions was made up of T. 
F. Hodges, K. S. Auberg", F. Schneider, D. Wallace, J. N. 
Perry, H. Westphal and J. Hurst and the po'sition of the so- 
ciety on such matters as store pay was stated. As Manito- 
woc, however, was not a manufacturing- center, such move- 
ments did not thrive and many years passed without witness- 
ing- another. In Two Rivers, where there was much manu- 
facturing- from the beginning, labor was unorganized until 
1894, In the spring- of that year the Mann Mutual Aid As- 
sociation was formed, consisting- of three hundred members 
and in the fall a union of wood workers was org-anized. In 



240 

September of the following- 3^ear the first strike was inaug-a- 
rated among" the employees of the Two Rivers Manufacturing" 
Company, one hundred men g^oing-out. The grievances, how- 
ever, were finally compromised. Another strike took place 
in April 1897 but the difficulties were soon amicably adjusted. 
These frictions naturally led to a considerable org-auization 
of labor in Two Rivers and a similar tendency was noticeable 
in Manitowoc a year or so later. Among- the laborers org-an- 
ized in the latter city were the longshoremen, who instituted 
two unions, the cig-armakers, masons and their tenders, car- 
penters, brewers, moulders, barbers, machinists, painters, 
clerks, typesetters and eng-ineers, both stationary and marine. 
A central trades council and a branch of the American Fed- 
eratiCm of Labor were also org-anized during- the summer of 
1901. The first observance of Labor Day occurred in the fall 
of the same year. 

BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES. 
Aside from the various denominational aid societies there 
have been and still exist several benevolent societies, princi- 
pally in the city of Manitowoc. In November 1865 the Char- 
itable Association was formed with the following- officers: — 
President, Mrs. M. Fellows; Vice President, Mrs. H. Rand; 
Treasurer, Mrs. J. D. Markham and Secretary, Mrs. W. J. 
Stoutenbergh. The org-anization continued its g-ood work 
for many years. The South Side Ladies Aid Society was or- 
g-anized in 1883 and a similar society among- the north side 
ladies soon after. The absence of poverty, however, has not 
made g-reat efforts in this direction ver}' necessary. 

BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS. 

In July 1885 a number of the business men of Manitowoc 
g-athered tog-ether and formed the Business Men's Associa- 
tion, electing- E. K. Rand president. After some years the 
association was revived in 1891 as the Manitowoc Improve- 
ment Association with 147 members. T. C. Shove was elect- 
ed president, G. B. Burnet vice president, Emil Baensch sec- 
retary and W. D. Richards treasurer while the board of di- 
rectors was composed of F. H. Haley, F. C. Buerstatte, F. 
Schuette, W. I). Richards and Ernst Wag-ner. After the 



241 

panic and depression caused by the bank failures had been 
somewhat alleviated the business men of the city formed an Ad- 
vancement Association, which was quite active in the dredg-ing- 
and other improvements. The Merchants' Association of Man- 
itowoc is an organization of later birth. The Two Rivers Ad- 
vancement Association was formed in December 1890 with J. 
E. Hamilton as president, P. Gagnon and Leopold Mann as 
vice presidents and E. Manseau as secretar}' and treasurer, 
the org"anization proving" to be of much -benefit to that city. 
Several associations of a business nature, having- for their 
object mutual benefits have played an important part in the 
later development of the county. In the seventies there 
were founded the Manitowoc Rapids Fire Insurance Company, 
of whom the chief promoter was Charles Kling-holz and the 
Mishicot Feuer Versicherung Gesellschaft. In 1870 the leg"- 
islature incorporated the Manitowoc Fire Insurance Company 
with a capital of $100,000 the incorporators being- Joseph 
Vilas, C. H. Walker, J. Mann, F. Schultz, F. Kostomlatsky, 
C.H.Schmidt, Jacob Halvorsen and A. Piening-. Similar 
institutions as protection ag-ainst fire were formed in various 
t jwnships of the county among- the farmers, notably in New- 
ton, where a society has been in existence since the fifties. 
In 1879 the Mutual Life Insurance Company of Manitowoc 
was fcfrmed, Carl Gelbke being- chose:i president and G. Du- 
sold vice president. More recent and working- along- some- 
what different lines has been the Manitowoc Building- and 
Loan Association, org-anized in 1890 with a capital of $50,000 
which has enabled many to construct homes of their own. 

MISCELI.ANEOUS. 

There have been several classes of org-anizations, deserv- 
ing- of mention that it would be difficult to classify. Among- 
those devoted to conviviality might be mentioned the Heydey 
Club, organized in Manitowoc in February 1889, which, after 
an existence of eleven years disbanded, the Calumet Club, an 
org-anization similar in nature, formed the same year, whose 
life was still shorter and the various minor dancing- and card 
clubs. An org-anization, which should have survived, but 
unfortunately did not was the Manitowoc County Old Settlers 



242 

Club, formed on January 16 1879. The meeting- was called 
by H. H. Smith, the father of Two Rivers, J. D. Markham, 
W. W. Waldo, W. Bach, and C. Essling-er and P. P. Smith 
was chosen president and William Bach secretary. A grand 
banquet was held on February 21st, which was largely at- 
tended and it was then decided that there should be a per- 
manent organization, with vice presidents for each township, 
the list being made up as follows: — Schleswig, J. Barth, F. 
Krieger; Centerville, P. Werner. E. Rossberg; Newton, F. 
Schmitz, C. W-ernecke; Meeme, H. Mulholland, J. H. Bohne; 
Eaton, Patrick O'Shea, Fred Swenson, Maple Grove, W. 
Zahn, M. Finlan; Franklin, Bryan Lorrigan. G. Betzer; Rap- 
ids, R. Donovan, H. Wills, N- Fitz; Kossuth, Casper Ewen, 
William Robinson; Liberty, J. Stephenson, M. Taugher; 
Rockland, D. B. Knapp, S. Hagenow; Cato, Ira C'ark, Jacob 
Grimm; Two Creeks, Fred Pfunder; Cooperstown, Henry 
Nachtwey; Mishicot, Julius Lindstedt, John Terens; Gibson, 
Jason Pellett, Manitowoc, J. Fliegler, E. J. Smalley, R. 
Klingholz, P. P. Smith, W. Burmeister, M. Fellows, G. 
Pankratz, C. W. White, S. A. Wood; Two Rivers, J. M. Con- 
ine, A. D. Farnum, Leopold Mann, Joseph Schwab. With 
all this complete organization, however, the association did 
not live beyond its birth, no further meetings being held. 

In 1866 during the anti-English movement among the 
Irish residents of the United States, Manitowoc was the home 
of a Fenian Circle. The officers were: — Center, Michael 
Mahoney; Secretary, John Langtry; Treasurer, R. O'Connor; 
Committee of Safety, E. Sullivan, G. G. Dwyer, Jere Crowley 
and Emmett Crill and weekl}' meetings were held in Glover's 
Hall. The circle was revived in 1869 but soon passed out of 
existence. 

In March 1892 the Manitowoc Humane Society was 
formed, Emil Baensch being chosen president and P. J. Pierce 
officer, later Richard McGuire occupying the latter position. 
The society, however, soon ceased to be active. Several or- 
ganizations among the Bohemians of the county, with frater- 
nal features, have been important features of their social life, 
notably the C. S. P. S. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



EDUCATION. 



The interest shown in education in a community is, per- 
haps, the best test of the character of that communit}'. 
There is no place where the future can be so shaped as in the 
schoolroom. Manitowoc county has g^ood reason to feel 
proud of her past in respect to her educational history, for it 
is a matter of common knowledge that she has stood among- 
the foremost counties of the state and that her efforts have 
g-ained wide recog-nition. As regards her public, private and 
parochial institutions of learning there has always been a 
spirit of enterprise prevailing. The self-sacrifice of the pio- 
neer in giving his child an education in the face of almost in- 
surmountable difficulties, is worthy of emulation and forms a 
peculiarly American characteristic. 

The first school established in the county succeeded the 
first settlement by a year. It was in the winter of 1837-1838 
that a few pioneers at the mouth of the Manitowoc decided to 
light the torch of knowledge. This was done by the raising 
of a private subscription and the hiring of one S. M. Peakc 
to instruct the children of the community, twelve in number, 
P. P. Smith being the oldest. The primitive school held its 
sessions in the Jones warehouse at the corner of Sixth and 
Commercial Streets and instruction continued only through 



244 

the winter months. In the spring- Mrs. L. M. Potter, who 
had formerly been a teacher in the g-overnment school at 
Green Bay, opened a school at the Rapids, which continued 
in existence for some time, among" the pupils being P. P. 
Smith and others from Manitowoc. I'wo years later a public 
school was established at the Rapids, the town hall being" 
utilized for thepurpose. A g-entleman by the name of Beards- 
ley was the first teacher and among- his pupils were Dr. La 
Counte, P. P. Smith, D. Sackett, Giles and Erwin Hubbard 
and Joseph La Counte. In 1844 the county board chose E. 
L. Abbott, O. C. Hubbard and Oliver Clawson school com- 
missioners and divided the county into three districts: — Two 
Rivers, Rapids and Manitowoc, schools being- established at 
each and elections for district officers were held on October 
10th. During- the next five 3'ears the population remained al- 
most stationary and as late as 1849 there were only seven 
school districts in the county. The Manitowoc school dis- 
trict, known later as No. 1, by that time had grown to such 
proportions that a commodious building- was necessary and in 
1848 tVie legislature authorized it to levy a tax of $350 for a 
new school. The money was accordingly raised and the next 
year a two story frame structure erected on North Seventh 
Street. This building for many years was the usual public 
g-athering- place for the villagers as well. In the same year 
a private German school was established in the town of Kos- 
suth and Georg-e Peterson started a similar institution in the 
village of Mishicot, both being- supplanted by public schools 
a few months later. At that time the average school year in 
the county was seven months and. only a little over one half 
of the children attended regularly, owing- to long distances 
and poor roads. The first gathering- of the county teachers 
and those interested in education occurred ai the courthouse 
at the villag-e of Rapids in May 1849. Albert Wheeler acted 
as chairman and K. K. Jones as secretary. State Superin- 
tendent Root was present and addressed the pedagogfues, rec- 
ommending- new plans and particularly the system of teach- 
ers' institutes. The meeting- adopted resolutions favoring- 
the formation of a county org-anization and the following- 



245 

were chosen officers:— President, James Bennett; Vice Presi- 
dents, P. Pierce, of Rapids and B. F. Sias of Two Kivers; 
Treasurer, William Ham, of Manitowoc; Secretary, E. H. 
Ellis of Rapids; Directors, H. H, Smith, of Two Rivers, W. 
F. Adams, of Meeme, Alden Clark and K. K. Jones, of Man- 
itowoc. Some attempts were also made at the introduction 
of the g-raded system of schools soon after. 

The extensive Irish and German immig-ration of the early 
fifties had an important in2uence on the county in an educa- 
tional way since the favor, with which both nationalities 
view the school, is too well known to need remark. These 
sturdy pioneers rapidly settled both the rural and villag-e 
communities and the log" schoolhouse was a necessary attend- 
ant upon their advent. By the end of the year 1850 the first 
schools in the present limits of the townships of Centerville, 
Cato, Newton, Rockland, Meeme, Mishicot and Liberty had 
been established and within a few years the starting- of schools 
in the other townships followed. The reports ot the state 
superintendent of public instruction show a remarkable 
g-rowth in one y,ear alone. In 1850 90 out of 169 children in 
the county attended school, in 1851 633 out of 769; in 1850 
there was received from the state funds $118; in 1851 the 
amount was $560. Much of the state school lands were sit- 
uated in the county, there being- 22,321 acres as late as 1852. 
The wag-es paid teachers in the county at this time averag-ed 
$23.50, which was higher than that maintained anywhere in 
the state. Among- the pioneer country school teachers were 
Mrs. G. W. Burnett, Misses Theresa Mott, Harriet Higg-ins 
and Jane Jackson and Asa Holbrook, James Evers, John 
Stuart and J. Cohen. An atmosphere was created favorable 
to education in the Irish settlements in Meeme, particularly 
under the tutelage of Henry Mulholland, Sr., and Patrick 
O'Shea, resulting in the production of a coterie of brig-ht 
minds, whose names became well known in educational circles 
of a later period. In the village of Manitowoc progress was 
also rapid. The growing- needs resulted in the formation of 
several private schools, among- them one taug-ht by A. Witt- 
mann in 1854, another in connection with the German Luth- 



246 

eran Church started in the same 3'car and a third taug^ht by 
Rev. Melancthon Hoyt of St. James Church, established two 
years later. School District No. 1 was ably served in the 
early fifties by Jos. Vilas, who had just arrived in Wisconsin 
and in 1856 O. R. Bacon, one of the chief fig-ures in the edu- 
cational history of the county assumed charg-e. He was 
thirty-five years of ag^e at the time and was a man of consid- 
erable ability. After six years at the head of the school he 
resig-ned, serving as a paymaster during- the war and later 
went into business at Manitowoc, dying- June 18 1882. By 
1856 the village had become so large that a new district be- 
came necessary and Dr. A. C. Gibson was hired by the resi- 
dents on the south side of the river to open a school, which 
was done in the Esslinger building on pYanklin Sireet in May. 
Later a frame building was erected for its occupancy at the 
corner of South Seventh and Washington Streets, Dr. Gib- 
son remained in charge until the fall of 1858, when he ac- 
cepted a position' in the Two Rivers school and was succeeded 
by Jared Thompson, who was a man of high scholarly at- 
tainments. The interest shown in education is evidenced by 
the large attendance at a teachers' gathering held at Sheboy- 
gan in 1859, the following from Manitowoc County partici- 
pating. Misses A. Birchard, S. E. Butler, C. M. Cooper, E. 
Tucker and Messrs. O. R. Bacon, C. S Canright and Jared 
Thompson, all of Manitowoc; Henry Mulholland of Meeme, 
Joseph Stevenson, of Buchanan and Misses C. Honey and C, 
Williams and Messrs. J. B. Lord and J. W. Peck of Two 
Rivers. In the fall of the next year the teachers of the county 
held a convention in the Presbyterian Tabernacle at Manito- 
woc. 

By 1860 according to the state report there were 86 dis- 
tricts in the county, the averaire school year was six months, 
3971 out of 7887 children of schov»l age attended and S4972 
was received from the state. Thj value of school buildings 
was at that time $15,769, while the average teacher's wages 
were $2r. 24 for males and $15.42 for females. By way of 
comparison the report of 1870 is taken, showing the result of 
ten years growth. At the latter date 7810 out of the 14254 



247 

children of school ag"e were in attendance, the state aid had 
increased to $5647, the value of school property to $35,760 
and the averag-e teachers' wag-es to $40. 36 for males and $26.- 
85 for females, there being- 183 teachers in the county. In 
the First Ward School Professor Thompson was succeeded in 

1860 by W. F. Eldredge, C. S. Canrig-ht acting- as assistant. 
The former served until October 1861, when he entered the 
army. He was a young- man of g-reat popularity and after 
years of honorable service for his country he moved to Yank- 
ton, Dakota where he died in 1895. During- the war the first 
district school was taught for some time by O. F. De Land 
but later was under the joint charg-e of four ladies, Misses 
Warbuss, Burritt, Squires and Bennett. The office of county 
superintendent of schools was created by leg-islative act in 

1861 and in that year Manitowoc county elected the first in- 
cumbent of that position, B. J. Van Valkenburg-h being- the 
Democratic and Fred Borcherdt the Republican candidate. 
The former won by a majority of 280 votes but resig^ned to g-o 
to the war in October of the next year, C. S. Canrig-ht being- 
chosen to fill the vacancy temporarily until the fall election, 
at which J. W, Thombs, the Democratic candidate defeated 
Henry Sibree.' Superintendent Thombs was succeeded by 
Jere Crowley, who was elected in 1863 over W. F. Eldredg-e by 
608 majority. Crowley served in this office until his death 
five years later, being- elected over Joseph Smith in 1865 and 
over A. M. Richter in 1867. Under his supervision education 
was systematized and reg-ular examinations introduced, the 
county being- divided into five districts for that purpose. 
Seventy-four teachers' certificates were granted in the county 
in the first year of his incumbency, which number had in- 
creased to 93 in 1870, to 152 in 1880 and decreased to 114 in 
1890. 

The close of the war marked a g-reat increase in educa- 
tional facilities. In Manitowoc a Lutheran school was erected 
in 1866 and a year later a Roman Catholic school started. 
Private schools were maintained by Mesdames S. Hill and 
Barnes and by Miss Maria Martin, In February 1865 L F. 
Silsbee became the teacher in the south side district. It was 



248 

during- his incumbene\y theit an order from the state Superin- 
tendent closintr the German department in all schools that 
maintained such instruction created so much adverse com- 
ment. After some months he was succeeded by Prof. Mc- 
Mullin, who in turn g-ave w> y to Prof. Scudder, a graduate 
of the University of Wisconsin. At Two Rivers $5000 was 
voted for a new school in 1866 and a year later the new build- 
ing- was dedicated, J. F. Silsbee having- charg-e. On October 
2*) 1866 the Third Ward School in Manitowoc was started in 
a brick building- 35 by 50 feet on South Tenth street with 
Miss Minnie McGinley as principal. The condition of the 
other schools also became so crowded that the small buildings 
were totally incapable of holding- the pupils, so that on the 
north side the primary department was divided and taug^ht 
by C. M. Barnes and Miss Mary Shove in two private houses 
on North Sixth street and on the south sidi; the intermediate 
and primary departments were removed 'othe corner of South 
Seventh and Jay streets. A sub-primary or kinderg-arten 
was also established under Miss Anna Metz at about this 
time. 

Michael Kirwan was elected county superintendent in 
1 869 over C. S. Canrig-ht b}' over seven hundred majority an 
two years later defeated O. R. Bacon, being- elected a third 
time to the office in 1873 by a unanimous vote. Du ring- his 
six years of office the condition of the schools was much im- 
proved and the esprit du corps among- the teachers maintained 
at a hig-h level. Larg-e teachers' institutes were held an- 
nually, that in 1870 being- the first, in which g-reat interest 
was manifested, over one hundred pedag^ogues being- in at- 
tendance. During- this time O. H. Martin, D. F. Brainerd, 
J. F. A. Greene, L. J. Nash and later J. N. Stewart had 
charg-e of the North Side Hig-h School, while on the south side 
B. R. Anderson and C. A. Vicbahn were successful teachers 
in the First Ward and W. A. Walker and J. Luce in the 
Third Ward. At Two Rivers among- the teachers during- 
this period, that is down to 1875, were J. S. Anderson, G. A. 
Williams, W. N. Ames, Charles Knapp and John Nag-le, the 
latter acting- as principal until 1877, in which year also Two 



249 

Rivers voted in favor of the establishment of a free hig-h 
school. In Manitowoc an effort was made to consolidate the 
schools and to establish a central hig-h school in 1869 but it 
sig-nally failed when put to a vote. 

The early seventies were also an era of schoolhouse build- 
ing-. In 1871 the First Ward School was constructed on 
South Eighth and Hamilton streets, the structure being dedi- 
cated on January 29th of the succeeding year. In 1868 the 
state legislature passed an act enabling the first or north 
side district to levy a tax not to exceed $25,000 in order to 
provide for the erection of a new school, which was then 
found a necessity. It was, however, four years before the 
residents of the district saw their way clear to build the 
structure, the cornerstone being laid with g-reat ceremony on 
July 25 1872, orations being delivered upon the occasion bj- 
Judge Anderson, Hubert Falge and others. Principal Ste- 
wart, who was then at the head of the school later became 
the president of the State Teachers' Association, was the 
author of several educational works and taught for many 
years at Janesville. His successor was Hosea Barns, who 
had charge of the school from 1874 to 1877, later entering the 
Baptist ministry and finally retiring to his home in Kenosha 
County afUr a life of usefulness. By the last year of his in- 
cumbency at Manitowoc the new brick building below Union 
Park was ready for occupancy and the high school was duly 
instituted. Two Rivers also erected a school in the seventies, 
the value of the two structures then possessed by her being 
$12,000. Many parochial schools were started by the Catho- 
lics and Lutherans throughout the county, including- the Ro- 
man Catholic School at Two Rivers in 1877, which has al- 
ways been particularly well attended, St. Ambrosius Acad- 
emy at St. Nazianz and the g-irl's school at Alverno. In 
1875 W. A. Walker, who had been a teacher in the Third 
Ward, was elected county superintendent over A. M. Richter 
and served two terms, being reelected without opposition. 
By the end of his incumbency there were 108 schoolhouses in 
the county, valued- at $104,366, besides nineteen private 
schools. The funds received from the state in 1880 were 



250 

$6528, the averag^e teachers' wag-es being- $44.13 for males 
and $30.15 for females, while out of 15,919 children of school 
ag-e, 8428 attended the public schools. 

Efforts were made in September 1872 to form a county 
teachers' association, but althoug^h officers were elected,— C. 
A. Viebahn being- selected president, W, A. Walker vice 
president and Miss Emma C. Guj-les secretary, — the org-ani- 
zation did not prove successful. Reorg-anization took place 
in 1875, however, Hosea Barns being- chosen president, John 
Nag-le secretary and Miss Alice P. Canright treasurer, since 
which time annual meeting-s have been held and the associa- 
tion has played an important part in educational affairs. The 
instructional forces of the city schools underwent many and 
frequent changes during- the later seventies and early eig-ht- 
ies. In the Third Ward School Prof. Luce was succeeded by 
J. A. Hussey in 1876, -w^ho in turn gave way to O. S. Brown. 
In 1879 Principal Hussey ran for county superintendent on 
the Democratic ticket but was defeated by Prof. Viebahn of 
the First Ward School by 561 majorit3\ Two years later Mr. 
Brown was the Republican candidate but met defeat at the 
hands of John Nag^le, the Democratic nominee by a narrow 
majority, the latter having already filled out the term of Prof. 
Viebahn, since the latter had in 1881 accepted a position in 
the faculty of the Whitewater Normal School, which he has 
since held. Prof. Viebahn did much for education in Man- 
itowoc County and was once honored with the presidency of 
the State Teachers' Association. Prof. C. E. Patzersoon be- 
came the principal of the Third Ward School and under his 
guidance it advanced rapidly. On the north side Prof Barns 
was succeeded for two years b}^ J. P. Brigg-s, who in 1880 
g-ave way to Prof. McMahon. The latter resig-ned to go 
abroad for study a year after he had accepted the position and 
J. M. Rait, who had been a teacher at Two Rivers, then as- 
sumed charge of the school for two years. In the first ward 
the vacancy caused b}^ the resignation of C. A. Viebahn was 
filled by the selection of F. G. Young- in 1880. After serving- 
the district only three years he resig-ned, took a post g-raduate 
course at John Hopkins University and later became a pro- 



251 

fessor in the University of Oregfon. His successor was John 
Miller, who later resig^ncd and the vacancy filled by the ap- 
pointment of P. H.Hewitt. The latter for eig-ht years con- 
ducted the school, placing- it among- the foremost b}' his in- 
cessant endeavors. Ill health compelled him to resign in 
1894 and a year or so later he died of consumption. At Two 
Rivers J. M. Rait acted as principal of the high school from 
1877 to 1881, being succeeded by A. Thomas for three years, 
he later giving- way to Arthur Burch, who in turn was suc- 
ceeded by C. O. Marsh in 1887. Mr. Burch was another 
county teacher who attained the presidency of the State Teach- 
ers' Association. A new high school was built in the village 
of Kiel in 1884 and among the principals, who have been in 
charge of the institution, are P. H. Hewitt, J. C. Kamp, A. 
W. Dassler, G. M. Morrisey and A. O. Heyer. About fifty 
pupils are in regular attendance. All during the eighties 
John Nagle was county superintendent of schools, being se- 
lected unanimously in 1884 and 1886 and defeating A. Gutt- 
mann in*1888 by 1354 majority. His administration was a 
strong one and he became known throughout the state as a 
leading educator, being chosen president of the state associa- 
tion at one time. By 1890, the end of his administration, 
the state aid had increased to $17,543, 7430 of the 14,891 child- 
ren of school age were in attendance at school and the value 
of the buildings was $141,869, while the average of teachers' 
wages had reached the highest point attained before or since, 
being $49 for males and $32 for females, there being 155 
teachers in the county at the time. 

The history of education in the county during the last ten 
or fifteen years of the nineteenth century was one of rapid 
development. In the first district Prof. Rait resigned at the 
end of the school year in 1883 and moved to Minneapolis and 
as his successor E. R. Smith of Burlington was chosen. A 
man of wide experience and great intellectual power for seven 
years he continued to fexercise a beneficial influence on the 
school and when he resigned to embark in business great re- 
gret was felt. His successor, C. Fredel, remained but two 
years and gave way to H. J. Evans, an energetic instructor, 



252 

who introduced many reforms in the school and soon had it 
on the accredited list of the state university. The district 
had grown so large that at the annual school meeting held in 
1891 it was decided to build another structure, which was ac- 
cordingly done. The building committee consisted of L. J. 
Nash, G. G. Sedgwick and A. J. Schmitz and a site was chos- 
en at the corner of North Main and Huron streets, the school 
being- named after Chas. Luling. An addition to this school 
was built in 1899 at a cost of $12,000. In 1901 the average 
attendance in the high school was 180, in the Park School as 
a whole 569 and in the Luling School 360. In the fall of 1902 
Prof. P. G. W. Kellar the present principal assumed charge. 
The First Ward School by the resignation of Principal Hew- 
itt found it necessary to cast about for another man and Prof. 
C. K. Patzer was accordingly chosen, continuingat the head of 
the institution for three years. Mr. Patzer had served four 
years as countysupenntendent, defeating A. Guttmannthe Re- 
publicancandidate in 1890 and being chosen unanimously at the 
next election. He was a man of much administrative ability 
and secured a position for his school on the accredited list. 
Resigning in 1897 to accept a position as professor in 
the Milwaukee Normal School, he was succeeded by W. 
Luehr, who proved to be a very able instructor. In the third 
ward Albert Guttmann became principal in the fall of 1886 
and during seventeen years of able service he has done much 
for the school. The old facilities proving inadequate in 1891 a 
new schoolhouse was begun on South Twelfth street, being 
completed in the course of a year at a cost of S25,000'. In 
1900 still another building was erected, this time in the Fifth 
ward on Twenty-First street at a cost of $20,000. In the 
fourth district, a small division in the southern part of the 
city set off in the seventies, a new school was also erected at 
about the same time. All the schools of the city are main- 
tained under the old district and school meeting system, al- 
though much talk of consolidation, particularly in regard to 
the high school; has taken place. 

Among the principals of the Two Rivers High School in 
the nineties were A. W. Dassler, K. R. Smith, E. B. Carr, O. 



258 

B. O'Neil and C. W. Van de Walker. For the county super- 
intendency A. Dassler was successful in 1894 but after one 
term was defeated b}' E. R. Smith, who was a Republican. 
After an able administration he was in turn defeated in 1898 
by F. C. Christianson who was reelected twice without a 
partisan contest. According- to his report of that year the re- 
ceipts from the state wore $15,674, 8733 children att<^nded 
school out of 15,783 of school ag-e and there were 171 teachers 
in the county, the averag'e wag^es being" $44 for males and $31 
for females. A county training-school for teachers, the third 
in the state, was opened in September 1901 under charg-e of 
Prof. F. S. Hyer and Miss Rose Cheney in the Fifth Ward 
School and much interest has been taken in the innovation. 
Parochial schools' have also kept in the van of progress. A 
new building- for the Roman Catholic School in Manitowoc 
was constructed in the later eighties and the German Luther- 
ans completed a similar structure in 1891. In nearly every 
village and hamlet there are church schools, the Lutherans 
maintaining ten in the ,county and the Roman Catholics an 
even larger number. A private school entitled the Lake 
Shore Business Colleg-e was established by Prof. C. D. Fahrney 
in Manitowoc in 1891 but suspended after five years of exist- 
ence. Some years later the Wisconsin Business Colleg-e was 
established and led a successful career under the able in- 
struction of Principal C. F. Moore. A school for the deaf 
and dumb was instituted by the city with state aid in 1893 
but it ceased to exist after seven years. 

Libraries always plaj an important part in education. 
On January 23 1868 in a letter to C. H. Walker, Col. K. K. 
Jones, of Quincy, 111. offered to g-ive Manitowoc a library, 
provided an association was formed and the maintenance of 
the institution assured. The offer was accepted with eager- 
ness and a public meeting- held on February 1st, of which 
Joseph Vilas -acted as chairman and Henry Sibree as secre- 
tary. A committee was appointed, consisting- of O. B. Smith, 
H. Sibree, D. J. Easton and A. D. Jones, to make final ar- 
rang-ements and an association was formed on February 29tli 
with C. H. Walker president, J. F. Guyles vice president, 



254 

Peter Johnston treasurer and O. B, Smith secretary. The 
association was duly incorporated by the leg-islature, the 
charter providing- for a board of nine directors, to be elected 
annually, any subscriber to the amount of four dollars being- 
g-iven the privilege to vote at the meetings. The librar^^was 
installed in a building on York street and was well supported 
and patronized for many years, many social and literary func- 
tions being given for its benefit. It was maintained until 
1888, when the several hundred books it then possessed passed 
into the temporary care of the Y. M. C. A., being later trans- 
ferred to the rooms of the Calumet Club and then to the 
north side school until added to the new city library. Al- 
though attempts were made to revive the enterprise from 
time to time Manitowoc was without a library until 1899, 
when as the result of the work of Miss Stearns of the State 
Library Commission, assisted by many of the local ladies, in- 
terested in education a favorable sentiment was created and 
sufficient funds accumulated for the opening of the institu- 
tion. The following were, in November, appointed the first 
city library board: — L. J. Nash, E. Schuette, N. Torrison, 
Dr. John Meany, John Nag-le, Dr. A. C. Fraser, F. C. Can- 
rig-ht, Mesdames J. S. Anderson and Max Rahr. Rooms 
were secured in the Postoftice Building and the library proved 
a most successful' enterprise. Andrew Carnegie donated 
$25,000 for a city library in 1902 and the work of erection was 
soon decided upon. 

In Januar}^ 1891 Joseph Mann of Milwaukee donated 
$1000 to the city of Two Rivers for a public library and about 
$2100 was raised by others in support of the institution. It 
was opened soon after and has been well patronized, receiving- 
at various times considerable municipal support. District 
school libraries have been quite generally established through- 
out the county also, forming a valuable adjunct to the reg-u- 
lar facilities. 




JOHN NAGLE 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE PRESS. 



Few realize the itifluenee of the public press upon the 
history of a communit}-. It does, not, however, require much 
consideration to perceive its importance as a factor, acting" 
in its dual capacity as a director and mirror of public opinion. 
It is easily seeji, also, how important, particularly in the 
study of local history, it is to peruse carefully the columns of 
the newspapers, for throui^h them we have not only the 
principal but often the sole means of a true understanding" of 
conditions and development. Manitowoc County has been 
fortunate in having- in past and present men of influence, of 
intellectual capacity and hig-h integ-rity connected with its 
various news publications. The names of such as Fitch, 
Olmstead, Smith and Nag-le are not soon forg-otten by those 
who for years have had the opportunity of reading their com- 
ment on current events. The newspapers of the county have 
always been remarkable for the prominence g^iven their edit- 
orial departments, the true test of a paper's individuality. 

The newspaper history of Manitowoc County beg"ins 
properly with the year 1850. True it is that from such ex- 
pressions as "our Manitowoc readers," appearing- in 1S49 in 
the Green Bay Advocate indications are given that it had a 
local constituency and Milwaukee and Chicag-o papers were 
taken by a few of the more opulent. The Madison Express 



256 

too, did what little county printing- was to be done in the 
forties. But on November 30 1850 appeared the first number 
of the Manitowoc County Weekly Herald, established by C. 
W. Fitch, a pioneer resident of Kenosha. This g-entleman 
was of New Jersey birth, being- thirty-one years of age at 
the time he came to Manitowoc and was well educated and 
possessed of considerable editorial talent. The type and out- 
fit used was shipped to the city on the steamer Champion and 
had been purchased of Editor Cramer of the Milwaukee Even- 
ing- Wisconsin, being sold later by Fitch to a Naperville, 111. 
firm. The paper started out in modest form and the first is- 
sue contained the following salutatory: — 

"When we agreed to hazard the undertaking we had nev- 
er set our foot upon the soil of Manitowoc or seen an inhabi- 
tant of the county. We did so from reliable representations 
of its past history, present population, business advantages 
and prospective advancement. These, to our ken, were not 
overrated and are sufficient to warrant the commencement 
with the promise of a liberal recompense. If we are all right 
in these conclusions and we know we are unless we have 
g-reatly overestimated the enterprise and foresight of the peo- 
ple, we shall not have cause for reg-ret." In politics it was 
announced that the Herald would be liberally Democratic, 
the principles enunciated being- as follows: "Politically we 
advance the doctrine of the Democratic party and the time 
honored custom demands that we should make some exposi- 
tion of our faith. One of the most prominent articles of the 
Democratic creed in the western states is the exclusion of 
slavery from free territory. To this we most cheerfully sub- 
scribe. As a matter of principle and policy we are in favor 
of preserving the free soil of our country from the reproach 
of human bondage. We are in favor of cheap postage, a low 
rate of duties and economy in the administration of the gov- 
ernment. We are opposed to banks and in favor of an inde- 
pendent treasury. We are in favor of river and harbor im- 
provements, of granting- public lands to actual settlers with 
proper limitations, at the lowest possible rates and of reason- 
able exemption laws." 



257 

It is thus easil}^ seen that the doctrines of the new pub- 
lication were extremely healthy and likely to have a benefi- 
cent influence on village life. Of the venture the Milwaukee 
Daily Wisconsin said in its issue of December 2nd: "The 
Manitowoc County Herald is the title of a newspaper just 
published at the thriving- village of Manitowoc by Charles 
W. Fitch, editor and proprietor. It is Democratic in polilics, 
of the Jelfersonian stamp and is one of the neatest papers is- 
sued in the west. It is bound to succeed so long as the editor 
makes as good a local paper as he does now. Our brief per- 
sonal acquaintance with Mr. Fitch has been of the most 
agreeable cast and we welcome him to our state and the pro- 
fession with our best wishes for his prosperity as a man, a 
citizen and an editor. We trust the people of Northern Wis- 
consin will give him a liberal support." In those days per- 
sonal jibes and shots at fellow editors were much more com- 
mon than now and the pages were enlivened by many a 
friendly tift with the Green Bay Advocate and the Sheboygan 
Lake Shore Journal. The Herald was immediately made the 
official county paper, remaining so until 1855. For four 
years the sheet held the field uncontested and in April 1854 
it was enlarged and from that time on copies were sent to the 
State Historical Library at Madison and have since been pre- 
se^rved, the only file in existence. 

On the 25th of April of the same year, however, competi- 
tion appeared in the shape of the Manitowoc Weekly Trib- 
une, of which S. W. Smith officiated as editor. Mr. Smith 
had for some years been a resident of the village ard re- 
signed as manager of the National Hotel to assume his edit- 
orial duties. Smith and Roeser was the name of the propri- 
etors but the latter retired from the firm in October. The 
paper started out with the statement that the publication was 
"a step not taken without consideration," adopted as its mot- 
to "Ever Onward" and notified subscribers that subscriptions 
were payable in wood and other merchandise. It was at first 
independent in politics, — Smith having been a Democrat with 
strong Abolition tendencies, — then became Free Democrat in 
policy and by 1857 was definitely ranked as a Republican 



258 

newspaper. Editor Smith was an interesting- writer and the 
series of articles appearing- in 1854 on "Sights and Shadows 
of a Soldier's Life," detailing- incidents in his career as a vet- 
eran in the Mexican war, was ably written. Some years lat- 
er when he took trips to Chicagfo, Cincinnati and Washing-ton 
his descriptions of the journeys were indicative of g-reat skill 
as a writer. In July 1854 Carl Roeser, Sr., who had been as- 
sociated with Smith in the establishment of the Tribune 
started the first German paper published in the county, known 
as the Wiskonsin Demokrat, Smith and Roeser appearing- as 
the first proprietors and later Roeser & Co. By this time that 
nationality was much in evidence in the newly opened re- 
g-ions and the paper filled a need that had long- been felt. 
It was strong-ly Free Soil in its proclivities and Roeser being- 
considerable of a politician and a candidate for the position 
of state treasurer of the new Republican party in 1855, the 
paper was g-iven over larg-ely to controversy on public ques- 
tions. It preached the doctrine of violation of the laws of the 
land in regard to the escape of fug-itive slaves while the Her- 
ald counselled moderation. This radical position of the 
Demokrat opened the way for the establishment of a paper in 
the German lang-uag-e, taking- opposite views on these burn- 
ing questions and according-ly the Weekly Nordwesten was 
started in September 1855 by Carl H. Schmidt. The princi- 
ples advocated by it were stated by the Herald as Democrgitic 
principles, coupled with "denunciation of Know Nothing-ism 
and Abolition fanaticism." Another German paper was also 
started by Carl Pflaume in the same year as the Nordwesten, 
being- entitled Der Buschhauer but after twent3'-four months 
existence it was discontinued, the editor returning- to Ger- 
many. With all these publications in the field a strug-gle for 
county printing- was the natural result, the Herald being- 
superseded by the Tribune in 1855, the latter enjoying- the 
patronage until it again reverted to the Herald in 1860. The 
Tribune suffered by fire in December 1856 but the damag-e 
was soon repaired and J. N. Stone acquired an interest which 
he retained for two years, later removing- to Neenah where 
he still edits the Neenah Times, being one of the veteran fig-- 
ures of the Wisconsin press. 



259 

The years 1857 and 1858 saw many chang-es in the news- 
paper field. Editor Roeser sold an interest in the Demokrat 
in April of the first named year to A. Wallich and himself 
removed from the city some years later, dying- in Washington, 
D. C. in November 1897. Roeser was present at the initial 
meeting of the Wisconsin Press Association in 1857 and was 
chosen second vice president. In October Editor Schmidt of 
the Nordwesten tried an experiment in making his paper a 
tri-weekly, continuing it as such until April 1859, a Dr. Vette 
beings associated in the editorship in 1858. Another innova- 
tion took place in 1858 in the establishment on May 31st vi 
the Manitowoc Daily Tribune, published by Smith & Stone. 
In the words of the salutator}': "The issue of a daily paper 
is an event in the history of a village or city," and it mig-ht 
have been added as was done by the Madison Democrat in 
commenting on the venture: "A daily paper in a town the 
size of Manitowoc is a somewhat hazardous experiment." 
The sheet was a small one with little space devoted to local 
news and the price was fixed at twelve cents a week or five 
dollars a year. One of the first items it contained was that 
of the marriage at Two Rivers of Conrad Bates and Miss 
Dorothea A. Phillips, by Rev. M. L. Stanley, commenting- 
upon "the liberal fee enclosed for the raarriag-e notice." The 
Weekly Tribune in the meanwhile continued publication and 
another competitor was introduced the following year when, 
on July 11 1859, the first issue of the Manitowoc Weekly Pilot 
appeared. Jere Crowley, a veteran Irish newspaper man was 
the proprietor, coming from Neenah, where he had edited the 
Advocate. A vigorous writer, who had been reared, as it 
were, in a newspaper office, having occupied all positions 
from that of "devil" upwards, he formed a valuable addition 
to the journalistic coterie. The Pilot was from the begin- 
ning strongly Democratic and maintained its political stand 
through its entire existence. 

The field was thus occupied when the campaign of 1860 
came on, unparalleled as to its bitterness. The various news- 
papers represented the various shades of opinion in that cam- 
paign most characteristically. At one extreme was the Man- 



260 

itowoc Herald, flaunting- the names of Breckenridg-e and Lane, 
the candidates of the Southern Democracy, upon its editorial 
pag-es throug-hout the campaig-n. The Pilot on the other 
hand supported Douglas, bolting- certain nominees of the 
Democratic part}- in the county because of their Breckenridg-e 
sympathies. In a position mediate between the two was the 
third Democratic weekly, the Nordwesten. The Tribune 
and Demokrat, of course supported the Republican candidates. 
The conflict took on a personal aspect in many respects and 
General Smith was particularly attacked, being- nicknamed 
"Tin Horn Smith" on account of certain experiences he had 
underg-one in the northern wilds of Wisconsin. It seems that 
he was sent by the state to the fastnesses of Shawano County 
in January 1860 to protect certain timber lands from depreda- 
tions. In preparing- for the expedition he made elaborate 
plans, taking- with him four men besides two teams, loaded 
with stores and impedimenta, furnished by the state. The 
bill for tin ware alone was $51.04, the schedule including- 
three tin lanterns, one red sig-nal lantern and a tin horn five 
feet long. Some one sig-ning- himself Enquirer sent a com- 
munication to the leg-islature asking- for an investig-ation and 
remarking": -'If this expedition is an invading- army sent out 
to conquer Shawano County and annex it to Manitowoc I sol- 
emnly protest ag-ainst any chang-e in our county boundaries," 
The incident was the occasion of much discussion in that 
body, Smith being- attacked by Gabriel Bouck and Col. El- 
more and being- as ably defended by Col. Cobb. Smith, him- 
self, alwaj-s denied the charg-es and in fact it later transpired 
that he had only misconstrued orders but the nickname clung- 
to him despite all. Editor Crowley, too, considered himself 
ag-g-rieved in the campaig-n. His race and record had been 
used ag-ainst him and eft'orts had been made by a member of 
his own party to oust him from the position of Deput}^ United 
States Marshal, which he then held. The decisii)n of the 
political strug-g-le did much to quiet the controversies and the 
Civil War brought many changes. 

In January 1861 Otto Troemel established another Ger- 
man weekly under the name The Union but as the war clouds 



2&1 

g-athered he surrendered the pen for the sword, consolidating- 
his publication with that of Editor Roeser under the appel^- 
tion "Union Democrat." In the absence of the latter in 
Washing-ton on business during- 1861 F. Kuemler occupied 
the editorial chair but after three years of varied existence 
the paper suspended in Aug-ust 1864. The Herald had, early 
in 1861, come out for Lincoln, turning- in a direction exactly 
opposite from its former course and even the Pilot seemed to 
consider that the president should be supported in his efforts 
to sustain the union during- the early part of the war. It had 
become the official county paper by this time, a position it 
long occupied thereafter. This loss as well as the reduced- 
circulation due to the war was a hard blow to the Herald and 
it grew less and less influential, although it supported the 
Republican candidates in 1862, until finally it was oblig-ed to 
suspend on March 26 1863, the last issue, printed at Sheboy- 
gan, containing- the following \aledictory: "The truth has 
long- been apparent that we have in Manitowoc a superabund- 
ance of newspapers. We have only some thirty-five hundred 
voters in the county and three fourths of the patronizers of 
local papers require those printed in their own lang-uag-es. 
The support of the remainder is divided between three Eng-- 
lish papers, the entire amount of which is only sufficient for 
one. We confess that we have no ambition to pursue a busi- 
ness that does not pay a reasonable profit upon labor and cap- 
ital and this will suffice for a full explanation of the course 
we have taken. Our suspension will be brief. We expect to 
resume it very soon in a less crowded field, where we shall 
call upon our editorial brethren of the state for a renewal of 
those liberal courtesies so characteristic of the Wisconsin 
press. With our readers we part reluctantly and, in closing-, 
the memory of long- years of pleasant intercourse, of kind- 
nesses innumerable, of cheering- words and gracious deeds, — 
makes the task harder than we would wish, harder than they 
will ever know. May the shades of- adversity's nig-ht never 
fall upon their hearts or homes. From all we bespeak 
forg-etfulness of past g-rievances and here, at this resting- 
point, we bury the hatchet of old dissensions." The outfit 



262 

was sold to the Tribune anil Etlitor Fitch at first moved to 
Racine, where he started the Journal in November. Later, 
in 1867, he took up his residence in Washing-ton becoming- a 
prominent correspondent, being employed by the Pittsburg- 
Chronicle and Boston Post; still later he acted as confidential 
clerk of Senator Sawyer. He died in Washing-ton October 2 
1899. Mr. Fitch was one of the ablest writers that have ever 
been in the journalistic world in Wisconsin and was honored 
by being- chosen vice president of the State Editorial Associa- 
tion in 1861 and president in 1863. 

The war had a depressing- effect on all of the papers in 
•the county. Subscriptions fell off and the offices were con- 
stantly being- depleted by enlistments in the army. The 
Daily Tribune, which had battled for success so nobly, suc- 
cumbed in November 1861, becoming at first tri-weekly, then 
semi-weekly and at last in August 1863 being merg-ed in the 
weekly edition. The daily edition was again started in 1865 
but continued only a few months and another attempt made 
by the same publication during- the Franco-Prussian War met 
a similar fate. During- the sixties the Tribune underwent 
many changes of manag-ement. In 1864 Editor Smith ac- 
cepted the position of quartermaster in the Thirty-Ninth 
Wisconsin and his chair was occupied by Rev. L. N. Wheeler, 
then pastor of the Methodist Church, and H. Sibree. The 
former retired in September as did the latter soon after when 
the editor turned the duties over to Julius Enert and Thomas 
Sullivan in April 1865. In October General Smith, after sell- 
ing- out to O. B. Smith & Co., the principal member of the 
firm being- his brother, left for Warsaw, Missouri, where he re- 
sided until his death in October 1890. In partnership with 
John M. Read, formerly of Manitowoc also, he established 
the Warsaw Times which he continued to edit for many years. 
As an editor, politician and soldier he ranked high and Man- 
itowoc sustained a loss in his departure. O. B. Smith and J. 
Enert continued to control the Tribune until June 1869 when 
they sold it to Fred Borcherdt, the next prominent figure in 
in county journalism. Both the old owners moved south es- 
tablishing- the Knoxville, Tenn. Tribune and in 1889 O. B, 



263 

Smith became a state senator in Florida, having- removed to 
that state. 

During- the troublous times of the war the Nordv^^esten 
had been suspended, no paper being- issued from 1861 until 
February 1865 when Editor Schmidt, who had been at the 
front, ag-ain took up the pen. In 1867 he commenced the 
publication of a Sunday story edition which has been con- 
tinued as a feature up to the present day, proving- remarkably 
successful. The Pilot, in the meanwhile, had perhaps held 
the leading- position. An opponent of Republican principles 
and of Lincoln and his policies it had incurred the enmity of 
many radicals, who considered opposition as disloyalty. On 
the nig-ht of May 12 1863 the office was broken into and much 
of the type thrown into the lake, affording- the |boys royal 
sport diving- for lead for some days. This warning-, however, 
did not cause Editor Crowley to abate his opposition and in 
the next issue he offered fifty dollars reward for information 
regarding- the perpetrators of the outrage and remarked edit- 
orially: "If the scoundrels who have committed the dastard- 
ly act have not already repented we hope that Hell will one 
day find them in one of its hottest provinces." Soon after 
the war closed Mr. Crowley began to grow feeble and he was 
assisted in 1866 and 1867 by W. R. Kelley and in 1868 by J. 
M. Read, later of Kewaunee. In 1869 be retired definitely, 
selling the publication of which he had been ten years the 
editor to E. B. Treat. G. C. Skeen, a former Milwaukee 
Sentinel editor, was employed by Mr. Treat as editor for 
some time but in August he assumed charge himself. In 
April 1870 Jere Crowley passed away, mourned by all as a sin- 
cere and honest man. It is due to him that the Pilot was 
given such a prominent position at the outset, so that its lat- 
er success might be easy. Soon after the war A. Wallich and 
C. Troemmel had taken up the broken threads again and re- 
established the Demokrat, this time under the name of the 
Zeitung, the first issue appearing in June 1868, Republican 
in politics, as before. 

Thus it was that by 1870 the personnel of the editorial 
fraternity of Manitowoc had entirely changed, the old figures 



264 

having- disappeared with the exception of C. H. Schmidt. 
Nor did the changes stop there. In Aug-ust 1870 Mr. Treat 
relinquished the Pilot to J. C. Bollme3-er, who then acted as 
editor until his office was destroyed by fire on March 2 1871. 
Soon after Ten K3'ck G. Olmstead purchased the plant and 
continued to manage it alone until he associated with him 
John Nagle in the spring of 1876. Mr. Bollmeyer moved to 
Ohio where he edited the Wausion Expositer for some years 
and died in December 1898. The Tribune in the meantime 
was managed by F. Borcherdt but upon his appointment as 
consul to Leghorn, Italy in 1874 his son Kdward assumed the 
editorship. For six months in that year it changed to a semi- 
weekly but resumed its old form in September, after which 
time John B. Miller was for some months associated in the 
management. The elder Borcherdt died abroad in 1877 and 
in April of the next year the Tribune discontinued publica- 
tion, thus leaving the Republicans without an organ. Its 
valedictory was terse, stating in reference to reasons for the 
paper's suspension: "It is unnecessary to enumerate them, 
but the fact is that it does not pay to continue its publication." 
Edward Borcherdt became associated with John Nagle and 
tog"ether they purchased the Olmstead interests in the Pilot, 
the first issue under the new management appearing April 
25 1878. Changes had also taken place among the German 
papers. Kditor Troemmel of the Zeitung died in February 
1873 and the sheet was accordingly sold to Henry Baetz and 
Col. Wedelstad, the latter acting as editor until July 1875, 
when he removed to Milwaukee, later taking a position in the 
state treasurer's office. Fred Heinemann purchased the pa- 
per, changing- the name to Manitowoc Journal, but did not 
long continue its publication and in the latter seventies 
the German Republicans lost their organ. On March 8 
1871 the legislature granted a charter to the Nordwesten 
Printing Company, John Franz, C. G. Schmidt, C. H. Schmidt, 
Henry Schweitzer, A. Piening. H. Menge and M. Ketten- 
hoffen being the incorporators. Four years later Menge & 
Schweitzer took up the management of the paper, Mr. 
Schmidt still retaining the editorial chair and soon also re- 



265 

suming- entire control. In 1878 the Nordwesten and Pilot 
were the only newspapers in the city. Two Rivers, however, 
had by this time secured a publication, the Manitowoc County 
Chronicle, established in 1872, in the championship of the so- 
called People's Party, then active in politics. Judge H. S. 
Pierpont was the first editor but did not remain long- at the 
head, being- succeeded temporarily in 1874 by Georg-e N. 
Woodin and selling- his interest in April of the following- 
year to William F. Nash, the present proprietor. Mr. Nash 
has made a reputation state wide as an editor and has served 
the people of the county ably in the state senate. The paper 
is Democratic in politics. The city maintained a second 
paper, the Weekly Tribune edited by Robert Boehm and Re- 
publican in politics, for some time in 1900, but it soon dis- 
continued. 

On April 24 1879 appeared the first number of the new 
Manitowoc Tribune, revived by Henry Sandfordof Racine and 
published by W. Christie of that city. It was Republican in 
politics and immediately took up the strug-gle ag-ainst the 
Pilot. The latter had, however, a tremendous advantag-e due 
to a long- and continuous existence, careful manag-ement and 
a circulation of over two thousand. The Tribune, first pub- 
lished at Racine, was soon located in Manitowoc but Christie 
severed his connection with it, starting the Manitowoc Jour- 
nal on June 15 1880, a three quarto Republican weekly ap- 
pearing- Saturdays, that existed a little over a year. Editor 
Christie was a former Chicago Tribune employee. In June 
1881 a new German paper, the Post, was founded- by A. Witt- 
mann, independent in politics and in October of the same 
year the Lake Shore Times made its appearance, the outfit of 
the Journal having been purchased b}' Haukohl & Baensch. 
This, too, was Republican and continued under the same 
management until 1884, when J. S. Anderson purchased it. 
Under the latter's able editorship, and assisted no less ably 
by his wife, the paper took on a dignified and literary tone 
which made it very popular. In 1887 it was sold to H. G. 
Kress, who for two years was its editor, discontinuing its publi- 
cation in order to engage in business in Spokane, Washing- 



266 

ton. Other cbang-es also took place in the eig^hties; Edward . 
Borcherdt retired in 1888 from the I^ilot manag^ement and in 
January of the same year Editor Schmidt, the veteran of 
Manitowoc journalism, passed awa}'. Under his manag"e- 
ment the publication had taken a prominent place among- the 
German weeklies in the state and it was larg-ely due to his 
efforts that the German Editorial Association held its con- 
vention in Manitowoc in 1883. The paper was continued by 
a stock company from 1888 until 1893, H. Falg-e and later C. 
G. Schmidt, a brother of the deceased, acting- as editors. In the 
latter year it was sold under administration proceeding's to 
Mrs. C. H. Schmidt and for some months H. E. Kummer was 
the editor, after which C. G. Schmidt ag-ain resumed his dut- 
ies, later associating with him his son Adelben Schmidt. In 
the Post management William F. Brandt was for some years 
associated, retiring- in 1892 to eng-ag-e in business independ= 
ently. Editor Sandford in the meantime continued to conduct 
the Tribune until in 1895 he secured a position at Madison. 
For some time he edited it from that city but in March 1897 
sold the plant to G. G. Sedg-wick, Rev. Emmet W. Rankin 
and E. R. Barrett of Kansas City. Missouri. The paper was 
soon incorporated with the St. Nazianz Weekly, a six column 
folio that had been in existence since June 1895, the editor of 
the latter, H. C. Olson forming- one of the new corporation 
then org-anized under the name of the Citizen Publishing- 
Company. The name of the Tribune was also chang-ed to 
the Citizen. C. W. Roberts of Racine later purchased Olson's 
interest and became the editor of the Citizen, Editor Barrett 
removing- soon after to Missouri. 

A new publication appeared on December 14 1893, issued 
from the office of the Brandt Printing- & Binding- Co., entitled 
the Manitowoc Times-Press, of which H. G. Kress was the 
editor, it being- in reality a continuation of the old Lake Shore 
Times. It, too, was Republican and has since continued to 
be such and Mr. Kress has continued to direct its editorial 
policy. The paper was published for some time independ- 
ently by Mr. Kress and a daily edition of short duration was 
put forth in the fall of 1898. The years 1894 and 1896 wit- 



267 

nessed the addition of two German weeklies in the county, 
which have since maintained themselves with credit, vi2., 
the Wahrheit, edited and owned b}' C. Otto Schmidt, appear- 
ing- first in the last named year, being- Democratic in politics 
and the Kiel National Zcitung-, started in 1894, owned at first 
by Halhnek & Landen, being- edited by the latter and later 
being- transferred to H. A. Kuenne. It is independent in 
politics. Editor Wittmann of the Post was honored by being- 
chosen president of the German Press Association in 1890. 
In May 1896 he sold his interests to Emil Baensch and Will- 
iam Gennrich and a year later be passed away after a life of 
usefulness. The paper after his death became Republican in 
politics. On March 21 1900 one of the saddest chapters in the 
history of Manitowoc journalism was recorded. John Nagle, 
editor of the Pilot, after a short illness, succumbed to an at- 
tack of typhoid fever and passed from mortal scenes. Be- 
loved by all, staunch to friends and convictions he presented 
a notable fig-ure. He had at one time been honored with the 
presidency ot the State Editorial Association and his opinions, 
as they appeared week by week, were widely copied. His at- 
titude in the Bennett Law controversy, where he took a stand 
opposite to that of his party, also marked him as a man of 
convictions and gave him a wide reputation. Soon after his 
death a company was fo; med, which purchased the Pilot and 
placed Sydney T. Pratt, formerly of the Milwaukee Sentinel, 
in the editorial chair. He remained in this position and was 
a part owner of the enterprise until May 1903, when the 
Nordwesten and Pilot were combined, E. W. Mackey becom- 
ing editor and Adelbert Schmidt business manag-er. 

It was the occasion of much remark that for so many 
years a town of the size of Manitowoc should have no daily 
paper. The project was often considered in the early nine- 
ties but it was not until October 19 1898 that the Brandt 
Printing- & Binding- Co. issued the first number of the Man- 
itowoc Daily Herald. AJ. C. Getting-s of Monroe was the first 
editor and was succeeded after a few months by E. R. Bar- 
rett and then by E. W. Mackey, also of Monroe, who has 
ably conducted its columns. After a hard strug-gle it 



268 

g-ained a distinctive place in the popular favor and has a cir- 
culation of over a thousand. In October 1899 the Herald- 
Press Publishing- Co. was formed with. H. G. Kress as presi- 
dent, Horal Nelson as vice president and W. F. Brandt as 
secretary and treasurer, the company publishing- both the 
Daily Herald and Weekly Times-Press. The former is inde- 
pendent in politics. On May 12 1900 another daily, The 
News, appeared for the first time. Republican in politics with 
C. W. Roberts as editor, he having- acquired the interests of 
the Citizen Publishing- Company. For a time F. Ellis Reed 
was connected with the manag-ement and finally John Mc- 
Farlane of Racine purchased the paper and has since con- 
ducted it and the Weekly Citizen in a most satisfactory 
manner. 

There have been more or less of what might be called 
ephemereal publications in the county. A relig-ious weekly, 
Concordia by name, was published in Manitowoc during- 1875 
and 1876 but was later removed to Green Bay. Rev. Roehl 
of the German M. E. Church edited a monthly desig-nated Der 
Hausbesucher in 1888 devoted to pastoral affairs. Rev. Rog-- 
ers and Rev, Gray of St. James during- the nineties also edited 
The Diocese, another church periodical. A Polish weekly, 
Wezyotko Jezusa published by local priests was established in 
1887 and attained a wide circulation but the hard times of 
1894 caused it to suspend. Another Polish publication, the 
Biblioteczka Rodzinna, met the same fate after a five 
months' existence in 1903. During- 1896 Walter Wittmann 
edited a Populistic weekly entitled the New Broom, published 
at the office of the Manitowoc Post. Amateur talent has also 
found means of expression in the publication of The Picket 
by the pupils of the North Side High School in 1883 and 1884, 
the New Era and So-To-Speak by the pupils of the same school 
and the various other small miscellany. On the whole the 
prog-ress of the press in the county has been one of the bright- 
est phases in its history. 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE PROFESSIONS. 



Manitowoc County lias had in its existence many men in 
professional life, who have g-ained distinction and an honor- 
able place among- their fellows. Some of them have been 
soug-ht out for public service and broader fields of usefulness, 
while others have led a quieter but no less honorable exist- 
ence in the sphere of their choice, many being- laid to rest af- 
ter lives of service to the community amidst g-eneral regret 
and deep sorrow. 

BENCH AND BAR. 

Such is the case particularly with the men who have rep- 
resented the leg^al profession. And not only has the bar been 
a strong- one in the past but the courts have maintained a 
standard of dig-nity and impartiality, that has been most 
creditable. In the earliest c'ays there was little or no litig-a- 
tion and as a result the county wasjudiciall}' a part of Brown 
County until 1848, when upon Wisconsin's arrival at state- 
hood Manitowoc was g-iven complete autonomy. On Septem- 
ber 10th Circuit Judg-e Alexander Stow opened the first term 
of court at Manitowoc Rapids. Little leg-al proceeding-s en- 
g-ag-ed his attention except the admission to the bar of E. H. 
Ellis, J. L. Kyle and J. H. W. Colby, Manitowoc's first attor- 
neys. Mr. Colby was immediately elected county judg-e, 
receiving- 163 votes, while E. M. Soper received 113, and E. 



270 

H Ellis was chosen district attorney of the county. This 
marked the first judicial organization, althoug-h of course 
even before this time there had been justice courts, some of 
the early justices, appointed by the g-overnor, being- B. Jones, 
P. Pierce, Peter Johnston, Frederick Borcherdt, D. S. Mung-- 
er and S. W. Sherwood. 

Mr. Ellis, the first district attorney was a son of A. G. 
Ellis, the editor of the Green Bay Advocate, the first paper 
published west of Lake Michig-an. He remained in practice 
at Manitowoc for some years, being- succeeded in hisofi&ce by 
Mr. Colby, who was unanimously chosen in the fall of 1850, 
dying- three years later. The fourth of the early lawyers 
was Ezekiel Ricker, who had been the first clerk of court and 
he succeeded Mr. Colby as county judg-e, defeating- the latter 
by 177 majority in the fall of 1849. He died at the time of 
the second cholera scourg-e in 1854, as did also James L. Kyle, 
who had been chosen district attorney after Mr. Colby's 
death. Judg-e Ricker was of Maine birth and was only thirty- 
three years of age at the time of his death. He had studied 
law in Lebanon, Maine with Attorney General Clifford of 
that state and came to Manitowoc in 1846, serving- in the as- 
sembly for two years after his term as county judg-e expired. 
Mr. Kyle was five years his junior, having- been born in 
1826 and had also served in the leg-islature. Said the Madi- 
son Arg-us of him: "He was a noble hearted man, incapable 
of dishonesty, of fine and portly proportions and nobility of 
intellect." Kyle was succeeded as district attorney b}^ N. 
Wollmer, who had been in the county since 1847 and remained 
there until his enlistment in the service of his country, losing- 
his life before Atlanta in Aug-ust 1864. It was in the incum- 
bency of his successor, C. H. Walker, who was admitted to 
the bar at about this time, that the first murder trial took 
place in the county. Judg-e Gorsline of Sheboyg-an presided 
over the circuit court at this period, he having- succeeded 
Timothy Howe, who was the first reg-ular judg-e of the dis- 
trict. The defendant in the case was an immig-rant and he 
was charg-ed with the murder of the barkeeper of the Frank- 
lin Hotel, it appearing- that there had been an altercation be- 



- -r — -— '— — --a^ 




H. H. SMITH 



271 

tween them. The defense was in the hands of N. Wollmer, 
assisted by K. Fox Cooke, of Sheboyg-an, while the district 
attorney was aided by J. M. Shafter of the same city. After 
lasting- some days the trial resulted in an acquittal. 

By 1855 the number of lawyers had increased consider- 
ably and many of those, whose names were later prominent, 
were admitted to the bar. Georg-e Reed had located in the 
villag-e at an early date and in 1853 became county judg-e, 
succeeded later by Georg^e C. Lee, who in November 1856 re- 
signed, Isaac C. Parrish being- chosen to fill the vacancy. 
All of these men were lawyers and led long- and honorable 
careers. S. A. Wo )d and W. D. Hamilton were also admitted 
to the bar at about this time. Hamilton defeated Lee for the 
position of district attorney in 1856 and C. H. Walker suc- 
ceeded Parrish as county judg-e two years later. J. D. Mark- 
ham, who had been admitted to the bar shortly before, settled 
in Manitowoc in 1856 and began his long- years of successful 
practice. Among- the other lawyers of the time were W. H. 
Hammond, W. M. Nichols, Rice and Sweet, L. T. Warren, 
John A. Daniells, Parrish and Essling^er, of Manitowoc and 
Conrad Bates, D. W. Duncombe and William Aldrich of Two 
Rivers. Some remained in the county but a short time but a 
majority of them were permanent residents. As district at- 
torney George Lee succeeded W. H. Hamilton, but after two 
years in office gave way to J. D. Markham, who served two 
terms or until 1863, when W. M. Nichols, the Democratic can- 
didate defeated him. The fig-ht for the position of county 
judge in 1861 was a three cornered one, B. R. Anderson and 
S. A. Wood of Manitowoc and H. S. Pierpont of Two Rivers 
being- the candidates. Anderson and Pierpont were then new- 
comers to the county and for many years were prominent at 
the bar and in all political controversies. Judg-e Pierpont 
was successful and held the office until his resig-nation in 
December 1864. Up to the time of the draft cases of 1863, in 
which the entire leg-al talent of the county was eng-agfed and 
of which mention is made elsewhere in these pag-es, no very 
important litigation arose in the county. There had been, 
however, several murder cases, including- the Burkhart-John 



272 

trial in 1856, the Peg-low-Fraiitz and the Hig-g-ins-Gattiliiel 
trials in 1857, the Erling-er-Zioler and Gag-e-Packard trials 
in 1860 and the Smoke-Shreve case in 1864, the last being- a 
particularly prominent trial, J. D. Markham and G. Woodin 
acting- as prosecutors anJ Georg-e Reed and Charles White 
defending- the accused. Mr. White had opened an office in 
the village the year before. Many of the attorneys left the 
county during- the war to lig-ht for their country, among- them 
N. Wollmer, C. H. Walker and Charles White and many, who 
later became attorneys, served in the g-reat conflict. G. N. 
Woodin, who had been admitted to the bar but shortly before 
was elected district attorney by the Democrats in 1864 and 
served two terras, while Georg-e W. Barker succeeded H. S. 
Pierpont as county judge in the same year, holding- the office 
six years. Among those admitted to the Manitowoc County 
bar in the sixties, — most of them immediately after the war — 
were W. E. Hoye, C. A. Boynton, H. Sibree, C. W. Morse, 
W. M. Ross, E. B. Treat, T. G. Olmstead, T. C. Shove, D. 
E. Markham, W. F. Eldridg-e, Arthur Wood, W. A. Place, 
R. P. Eaton, R. P. Cook and W. Bird. Hamilton, Treat and 
Nichols, Lee and Walker and later Lee and White associated 
themselves together in co-partnerships. In 1868 E. B. Treat 
was elected district attorney on the Democratic ticket, defeat- 
ing C. W. White, and W. W.Waldo the following- spring- was 
elected county judge over H. Sibree, being- succeeded by T. 
G. Olmstead, another Democrat, four years later. 

Among- the new men to enter the leg-al field in the seven- 
ties were Michael Kirwan, J. S. Anderson, L. J- Nash, O. F. 
A. Greene, W. A. Walker, C. E. Estabrook, W. J. and H. G. 
Turner, G. A. Forrest, W. H. Hempschemeyer, ,W. Glover, 
W. Bach, A. J. Schmitz, D. A. Shove, W. G. Lueps, G. By- 
ron and H. F. Belitz, the last named being- a resident of Kiel. 
Of these Messrs. Estabrook, Walker, Turner and Schmitz in 
later years transferred their residence to Milwaukee, Mr. 
Estabrook becoming- attorney general of the state. On the 
other hand Messrs. Anderson, Nash and Forrest have re- 
mained' for man}^ years among the leaders of the local bar. 
After remaining- in the city a brief space of time in company 



2^3 

with L. J. Nash, O. F. A. Greene removed to Boulder, Col., 
where he died in 1899. Throug-h death the county lost sev- 
eral able law^'ers in the decade under consideration. C. H. 
Walker died on Dec. 14 1877 after a life full of usefulness, 
during- which he had served as a soldier, a legislator and 
judg-e. In the same year George Woodin and D. K. Markham 
passed away and in that succeeding Col. T. G. Olmstead, who 
had served as county judge until 1877, when Michael Kirvean 
was unanimously elected to that position. Col. H. F. Belitz, 
of Kiel, who had also been admitted to the bar but seldom 
practiced, died at about the same time, while the death of K. 
B. Treat occurred some two years later. His record also as a 
teacher, soldier and attorney was of the highest order and his 
demise was greatly regretted. He had been succeeded as dis- 
trict attorney in 1873 by W. J. Turner, who had defeated his 
Republican opponent, J. S. Anderson, by a narrow majority. 
H. Sibree, who was the next incumbent of the oflfice was also 
a Democrat, defeating C. E. Estabrook in 1874. Two years 
later another Democrat, A. J. Schmitz, then recently admitted 
to the bar, was successful over J. D. Markham and was re- 
elected in 1878, defeating J. S. Anderson. Since 1868 Camp- 
bell McLean had been circuit judge of the district, compris- 
ing Manitowoc, having succeeded Judge David Taylor. His 
successor, Norman S. Gilson, of Fond du Lac, chosen in 1880, 
filled his position with great dignity and impartiality, secur- 
ing the respect alike of the bar and the public. 

In 1880 a valuable addition to the Manitowoc bar was 
made by the removal from Kewaunee of G. G. Sedgwick to 
the former city. E. G. Nash, another prominent local law- 
yer commenced practice with his brother a year later. Oth- 
eis, who during the eighties were admitted to practice, were 
H. L. Markham and R. H. Markham, sons of J. D. Markham, 
Byron Oakley, who di2d soon after, C. A. Blesch, Emil 
Baensch and R. D. Smart. Judge Reed, who had long- been 
the Nestor of the county bar lost his life in the terrible New- 
hall House disaster in Milwaukee on January 10 1883. He 
had always been prominent in local and state affairs and his 
death was a heavy loss to the community. Henry Sibree, 



274 

another legal luminary, passed from earthly scenes in April 
of the same year after thirty years spent in practice at Man- 
itowoc. In the death of H. S. Pierpont, which occurred May 
6 1890 Two Rivers lost her leading- lawyer. Judg-e Pierpont 
was of New York birth and was admitted to the bar of that 
state, afterwards practicing" in Illinois. Coming- to Two Riv- 
ers at an early day he eng-ag-ed first in , mercantile pursuits 
but later turned his attention to politics, being- a candidate 
for attorney g-eneral and bank examiner on the Democratic 
state ticket. As a county judge he was considered very able 
and later as the founder of the Two Rivers Chronicle g-ained 
a wide reputation as a writer. R. D. Smart, who had been 
elected county judg-e in 1881 over J. P. Wickert, also passed 
away in 1890. He was a man of very attractive personality, 
a fact attested by his repeated election to office, althoug-h a 
Republican, in a strong-ly Democratic district. His successor 
as county judg-e was C. H. Schmidt, who althoug-h he was 
not a lawyer, was a very able g-entleman, having- for years 
been editor of the Nordwesten. He died in 1888 and was 
succeeded by Emil Baensch, then a young- lawyer of rising- 
reputation. All during- the eig-hties A. J. Schmitz and W. A. 
Walker held the district attorneyship, defeating- successively 
G. G. Scdg-wick, K. G. Nash, H. L. Markham and G. A. For- 
rest, their Republican oppouents. Mr. Walker was chosen 
United States district attorney in 1887, removing- to Milwau- 
kee to enter upon his duties. 

Judg-e Baensch's successor as county judg-e was F. E. 
Manseau, who with Isaac Craite had established himself as 
an attorney in Two Rivers in the early nineties. The former 
was oblig-ed to resig-n, however, on account of ill health in 
Aug-ust 1895 and J. S. Anderson was appointed his successor, 
serving- continuously until 1902, when John Chloupek was 
elected to fill the position. The latter had been admitted to 
practice ten years earlier and had become district attorney 
upon the expiration of the term of A. J. Schmitz. The Re- 
publican landslide of 1896 put A. P. Schenian into the office, 
an able attorney, who had recently set up in practice in Man- 
itowoc, althoug-h theretofore he had been an attorney in the 



275 

west for several years. He in turn g-ave way to E. S. 
Schmitz, a brother of A. J. Schmitz, and in 1900 after some 
leg-al difficulty over the returns another young- lawyer, Albert 
Houg-en, was elected to the office by a small majority. A 
municipal court for the county was created in 1895, being- 
first presided over by Isaac Craite, but he was succeeded in 
the spring of 1901 by A. P. Schenian, a Republican. Among 
the lawyers, who were admitted to the Manitowoc County bar 
in the nineties were E. S. Schmitz, A. L. Houg-en, E. J. Ons- 
tad, C. H. Sedgwick, A. H. Schmidt, Adelbert Schmidt, E. 
L. Kelleyi A. L. Nash, C. D. Fahrney, R. C. Burke, W. H. 
Joyce, Victor Pierrelee, Arnold Alexander and J. Healy, of 
Manitowoc; F. W. Dicke of Two Rivers and A. J. Chloupek 
of Melnik. In the same period Manitowoc attorneys, who 
passed away were W. Bach, W. H. Hempschemeyer, C. Ess- 
linger, A. Manseau and H. G- Turner, the last named having 
for some time been a resident of Milwaukee. In 1898 Mi- 
chael H. Kirwan was honored with an election to the circuit 
bench of the district, including Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Ke- 
waunee and Fond du Lac Counties, being the first of the 
Manitowoc bar to gain that distinction. 

In the last twenty years of the century there was a large 
number of important cases in the county, which g-ave an op- 
portunity to bring out the legal talent of the bar. Among 
the litigations of importance have been the various criminal 
and civil trials growing out of bank failures, the Quay street 
railway damage cases and several lengthy murder trials. A 
Manitowoc County Bar Association has been formed, being a 
means of mutual helpfulness among the lawyers of the coun- 
ty. Several of the attorneys in the county have in the past 
written on legal subjects, notably L. J. Nash, who has on 
several occasions addressed the State Bar Association. He 
has also held the position of state bar examiner. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The practice of medicine, one of the highest callings, 
which men have taken up, has had some able representatives 
in the county, many of whom have reached eminence in their 



276 

profession. Dr. A. W. Preston was the first reg-ular physi 
cian to take up his residence in Manitowoc, arriving^ in 1847. 
He was a man of considerable ability and his services in the 
cholera epidemic of 1854, when he was the only physician in 
the county,, are worthy of much admiration. When the war 
broke out he enlisted as a surg-eon in the Sixth Wisconsin 
and after serving- three years secured a furlough to visit 
friends in New Hampshire, where he died in December 1864. 
His was a life worthy of emulation, full of sacrifice and ser- 
vice for others. Another of the earliest ph3'sicians was Dr. 
Ransche, who in the later forties, established himself for 
some time at the Rapids. Soon after 1850 Dr. H. E. 
Zeilley arrived at Manitowoc, while Dr. John Oswald set- 
tled at Two Rivers, where he led a long- and honorable 
career. He was born in Germany, was educated at Goet- 
ting-en and Berlin, settled first in Penns^'lvania, then in 
Ohio, then in 1852 came to Two Rivers, where he died in 
1878. He was many times chosen villag-e president and was 
elected county coroner in 1868 and again in 1874. Dr. Zeilley 
was asurgfeon in the Fourteenth Reg-iment in the war and lat- 
er removed to Chilton. Other physicians, who commenced 
practice in ante-bellum days, were A. C. Gibson. R. H. Col- 
bourn, C. Mueller, J. C. Saltzmann, D. J. Easton, C. Schenk 
and H. S. Balcom. The last three named served as surgeons 
during- the war but of all only Drs. Balcom and Easton re- 
mained in the county for any length of time. Dr. Easton 
lived in the city until his death, which occurred in 1880 and 
'was always prominent. A graduate of the Albany Medical 
and Philadelphia Homeopathic Colleges, at his settlement in 
Manitowoc he was the first physician of that school of medi- 
cine in the vicinity. Among his contemporaries in the county 
wereDr. H. W.Tucker of Clarks Mills, who although somewhat 
older came to the county the same year as did Dr. Easton, Dr. 
C. Creutzberg-, of Rapids, Dr. Kellog-g-, of Branch and Drs. F. 
Simon, J. Steg-er, and B. F. White of Two Rivers, of whom 
only Dr. Simon was a permanent resident of the county. .He 
removed to Manitowoc later and served six terms as a coro- 
ner. Dr. Tucker passed away in 1878 at a ripe old ag-e, while 



277 

Dr. Kellog-g" removed to Wrig-htstown, where he spent the re- 
clining- years of his life. 

At the conclusion of the war the medical fraternity re- 
ceived several accessions. In 1865 Dr. J. A. Brown settled in 
the villag-e of Manitowoc. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, 
in June 1816 he graduated at an early ag-e from the Scientific 
School at Lima, N. Y., matriculating- later at the University 
of Michig-an. After" ten years practice in Illinois he removed 
to Manitowoc where he spent the remaining- years of his life, 
dying- November 25 1893. Another newcomer was Dr. Schall- 
ern. He was a Bavarian by birth but fled from the Father- 
land after the revolution of 1848, becoming- a surg-eon at 
Ward's Island, N. Y. Later he served in the 51st Ohio dur- 
ing- the war, after which he located at Manitowoc. Return- 
ing- to Mount Vernon, N. Y. he died in 1878. Drs. Balcom, 
Simon and Kaston continued in practice after the war, each 
finding- an extended field of usefulness, while Dr. C. C. Crock- 
er established himself at Two Rivers, where he continued to 
practice for many years. Dr. Coakley, a g-raduate of the Chi- 
cag-o Medical Colleg-e, in 1872 also decided to locate in the 
county. He was killed nine years later by an unfortunate 
fall from his carriag-e, while enroute to visit a patient. Dr. 
Balcom had also passed away some years preceding-. Dr. R. 
K. Paine opened an office at Manitowoc in 1874, being- then a 
recent g-raduate of the Hahnemann Homeopathic School at 
Chicag-o. He was born in Fond du Lac, was educated at 
Wayland Academy and served in the Twenty-First Wiscon- 
sin. In a few years he had built up a very lucrative practice 
and has been honored by an election to the presidency of the 
Wisconsin Homeopathic Society. Dr. J. F. Pritchard also 
came to Manitowoc in the seventies and soon proved himself 
an able practitioner, being- appointed later a division surg-eon 
by the Chicag-o & Northwestern Railway Company and being- 
honored in 1891 by the vice presidency of the State Medical 
Association. Another physician, who practiced at Manito- 
woc at the time, was J. C, Oviatt. 

In the next few years several more were added to the list 
of the county practitioners. In 1878 Dr. Da wley started an office- 



278 

at Mishicot but his usefulness was cut short by death two 
years later. Dr. H. M. Hittner was his successor at that vil- 
lag-e and after twelve years of practice he too passed away. 
Dr. J. R. Currens came to Two Rivers in the later seventies 
and built up a large practice, which he has since maintained. 
As a member of the State Board of Medical Examiners he has 
g-ained considerable prominence. Dr. F. S. Luhmann, a suc- 
cessful Manitowoc physician, established himself in that city 
in 1880 and Dr. W. G. Kemper, another of the allopathic 
school began work soon after. Dr. Luhmann was elected 
coroner for seven successive terms, beginning in 1S82, defeat- 
ing among others Drs. O'Conncll, A. C. Fraser and J. F. 
Pritchard and was again chosen to the position in 189« by 268 
majority over A. C. Fraser. Dr. Fraser, a graduate of Mc- 
Gill University, Montreal, came to Manitowoc in 1881 and 
soon gained an extensive clientage. He served as coroner in 
1897 and 1898 and was chosen as attending physician of the 
marine hospital in 1900. Others, who established themselves 
in the county at about the same time were Drs. S. C. Blake, 
P. K. Nagle, A. V. Smith, A. J. Schweichler and H. Menson 
of Manitowoc, all of whom have removed to other fields, the 
first named being a physician of wide repute in Chicago, C. 
Bodenstab of Reedsville, R. S. O'Connell of Cato, C. W. 
Stoelting of Kiel and C. H. Oswald and Calvin Barnes of Two 
Rivers. Both Oswald and Barnes died early in their careers, 
the former in 1884 and the latter in 1887. In October 1882 a 
county medical society was formed, ten physicians being 
present at the first meeting. Dr. J. F. Pritchard was chosen 
president. Dr. J. A. Brown vice president and Dr. W. G. 
Kemper secretary. Meetings were held every three months 
and the organization has since proved very helpful. In the 
later eighties and early nineties an unusually large number 
of physicians located at various points in the county. Among 
them were Drs. W. E. Buschmann. J. Rehrauer, E. Tillson 
and J. D. Moraux of Two Rivers, the last three named not 
remaining permanently however, Oliver Hebert and R. Witt- 
mannof St. Wendel, the latter removing to Kiel, J. P. Hayes 
and P. J. Taugher of St. Nazians, C. Bossard of Kiel, Loui^ 



279 

Falg-e and P. G. Kuensel of Reedsville, W. H. Vosburg- of 
Cooperstowu and H. C. Thiehle and Gilbert Karnofsky of 
Manitowoc. Dr. Thiele died in 1888 after eig-ht years of suc- 
cessful practice. Still later Manitowoc was selected as a 
field by several other physicians, among- them C. Jacobs, who 
became city physician, J. F. Mulholland, a throat, nose and 
ear specialist, J. A. Roberts, who moved to the city from Ke- 
waunee, J. E. Meany, who was elected coroner in 1900, 
H. E. Bahr, an osteopath, Walton C. Hubbard, C. Gleason, 
H. Thurtell, G. W.Patchen, J. E. Barnstein, Max Staehle, C. 
F. Fuhrmann and A. N. Kittelson. The last two named, 
however, remained but a short space of time. In the county 
the following- also established themselves: — J. B. Rick at 
Larrabee, J. Hoyer at Tisch Mills, A. F. Hahn and G. L. 
Karnopp at Mishicot, Jacob Marti and H. Schaper at Kiel, 
Charles Schaper, who died at Franklin in December 1901, 
James Burke at Hika, C. W. Schmitz and T. O'Brein at St. 
Nazians and E. C. Christianson, H. Farrell, F. A. Greiner 
and A. Jekelfalusy at Two Rivers. 

DENTISTS. 

The first member of the dental profession to establish 
himself at Manitowoc was Dr. E. M. Thorpe, who arrived in 
February 1857. He remained in practice until the war broke 
out. In 1862 Dr. A. J. Patchen moved to the city and com- 
menced a practice, which he continued for many years. Born 
in Hadley, Vermont in 1830, Mr. Patchen came to Fonddu 
Lac in 1849 and served during- the war in the Fifth Wiscon- 
sin, later being- captain of Company G of the Thirty -Ninth. 
As a dentist he remained in practice until 1887, when he was 
succeeded by Dr. H. L. Banzhaf. He died ten years later. 
Another dentist of the early days was Henry Van Winkle. 
Not till the eig-hties did others enter the field permanently, 
the first being- Drs. Charles and Ernst Seeg-er, who soon 
gfained a lucrative practice and later associated with them- 
selves Dr. Joseph Miller, formerly of Kaukauna. E. H. Wat- 
rous also located in Manitowoc for some years at about this 
\im.e. Dr. Banzhaf took into partnership Drs. Martin ^nd 



280 

Hoover but neither remained permanently. Dr. Louis F. 
Seeg-er opened an office at Manitowoc in 1890 and was soon 
joined by Dr. G. E. Henry, but the former died in a few 
months, leaving- the latter to conduct the business until 1897 
when he removed to Port Washing-ton, being succeeded by C. 
J. Reinfried. Another dentist, who in the nineties started in 
the practice of his profession in Manitowoc was Dr. C. E. 
White, but he too removed from the city in 1900. Others 
who have started offices in Manitowoc of recent years are Drs. 
E. M. Kapitan, E. J. Eisen, Frank Gehbe, E. M. Bluraenthal, 
J. McMillan, H. A. Simon, M. L. Bast, J. Huwatschek, C. 
W. Seehaase, C. C. Wernecke, Albert Vits and N. T. Ziglin- 
ski. In 1900 Dr. Banzhaf was honored by being- chosen as a 
member of the state board of dental examiners and in 1902 
moved to Milwaukee to take charg-e of a dental school. In 
Two RiversE. J. Soik and Egg-ers Bros, opened dental parlors 
at about the same time, while in Kiel L. E. Wiesler com- 
menced the practice of his profession. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



BANKS AND BANKING. 

The history of the various banking- institutions that have 
formed a part of the business life of the county is not alto- 
gether without its deplorable and unfortunate chapters. It 
was several years after the settlement of the village that 
Manitowoc's commercial needs justified the establishment of 
such an institution but as business grew a bank became an 
obvious necessity. That it was early considered is witnessed 
by the fact that a correspondent of the Evening Wisconsin of 
Milwaukee in speaking of a rumored foundation of a bank in 
1850 condemned "the idea as a wild cat absurdity." The ab- 
surdity of the idea, however, soon wore off and within a few 
years there were several small depositaries, among the first 
being that of N. Wollraer, which grew up gradually out of a 
notary public and land business. The building was located 
at the corner of Quay and Eighth streets and the business 
was continued until the spring of 1858, when it failed. An- 
other institution that met a similar fate at about the same 
time was that of William Bach. But the loss of these small 
iand primitive offices made the need of other and better banks 
obvious, a need which was met by the organization of three 
in the latter part of 1858. The first was the Lake Shore 
Bank, which opened it^ doors on I^ecember 18th in the building 



282 

west of the present site of the Manitowoc National. H. C. 
Adams was president of the institution and G. W. Adams 
cashier. It started out in a successful manner, with re- 
sources estimated in 1859 at $61,618 and after two jears it 
was removed to Two Rivers, but there after a year's existence 
it failed. At the time of its suspension the amount of its cir- 
culation was $22,680 and the value of its security about 66^ 
per cent. G. W. Adams, the cashier was arrested after the 
failure on a charge of obtaining- money under false pretenses 
but the prosecution never came to a definite result. The sec- 
ond bank was that of T. C. Shove, who had been a clerk in 
the Wollmer Bank, and the third was the Bank of Manito- 
woc, which opened its doors December 22nd with C. C. Barnes 
as president and J. C. Barnes as cashier, with a capital of 
$100,000. In 1858 the Manitowoc County Bank was started 
at Two Rivers, which after some 3'ears of existence in that 
city was removed to Manitowoc in July 1861 where it con- 
tinued in the place of business of the old Lake Shore Bank. 
C. Kuehn, formerly state treasurer, was the principal in this 
enterprise and at one time the bank had a circulation of over 
$90,000. After a few years, however, it too was obliged to 
suspend, being able to pay but 45 cents on the dollar. This 
business reverse led to the premature death of Mr. Kuehn, 
which occurred at his home, half way between Manitowoc 
and Two Rivers, on November 2 1865. These early failures 
were not felt so heavily in the county since depositors were 
few, most of the pioneers of the day being struggling farm- 
ers. Barter was the general substitute for money and the 
more so since the currency was uncertain. 

The Bank of Manitowoc and the Shove Bank, however, 
weathered the stress of the war period, although the former 
was twice obliged to get legislative permission to reduce its 
capital. After the national banking act was passed, the 
Bank of Manitowoc was reorganized and in 1866 became the 
First National Bank of Manitowoc. For years these two 
banks sufficed to fill the financial needs of the whole county 
and it was not until January 1 1884 that the Manitowoc Sav- 
ings Bank was opened at the corner of South Eighth and Jay 



283 

Street* with a capital stcck of $50,000, owned by John Schuet- 
te, Henrj Schuette, J. Staehle and C. Estabrook. In the 
same year the Shove Bank was reorg-anized into the T. C. 
Shove Banking Conipan}-, including- several new stockholders 
and with a capital of $45,000. Seven years passed with(ut 
an addition in the number of banks, at the end of which time, 
in 1891,- the Bank of Two Rivers was opened to satisfy the 
g-rowing" commercial needs of that city. The origfinal capit- 
al was $10,000 and the proprietor was Edward Decker, whose 
banking- interests in Northern Wisconsin were quite extensive. 
The next year witnessed the beg-inning-s of a series of 
disasters which caused misery untold, the echo of which was 
years in dying away. At 10:45 p. m. of the llth of April 
1892 fire, caused by an explosion, broke out in the plant of 
the Manitowoc Manufacting Company and in a few hours the 
leading- industry of the cit}^ employing- two hundred men, 
was no more. The loss was $175,000 and the insurance but 
$60,000. On the following- morning the doors of the T, C. 
Shove Banking- Company were closed. It then transpired 
that the latter concern had been carrying- the factory for 
larg-e amounts, the factory being- in reality under the same 
management as the bank. It was thoug-ht at first that the 
misfortune was not so great as it proved to be and it was 
hoped that Assig-nee Piening- would be able to pay the depos- 
itors, who represented $400,000, at least 80 per cent. But 
matters soon showed up in a darker hue. The Manitowoc 
Manufacturing Company made an assignment to W. D. Rich- 
ards and on April 13th the Wisconsin Central Mills, another 
company backed by the bank, assigned to J. Staehle for the 
benefit of creditors. It was then realized that much of the 
assets of the bank, which were originally reckoned at ^500,- 
000, was worthless paper. In the bank was county money to 
the amount of .151,282.83, deposited by- Treasurer Gielow and 
a part of the city funds, amounting toS10,000. The former 
sum included $11,573 of the courthouse fund, the balance be- 
ing a part of the general county funds. The bondsmen of 
the county treasurer were H. Truman, G. Cooper, Max Rahr, 
W. Rahr, R. Rahr, T. C. Shove and Mr. Gielow himself. 



284 

Many of the other depositors Were farmers, since the bank 
always paid a hig-h rate of interest, and the stringency of 
motley that followed was very noticeable. As the factory of 
the Manitowoc Manufacturing- Company was almost an es- 
sential institution to the industrial life of the city, efforts 
were early made to rebuild it. On April 12th a committee 
was appointed by the Advancement Association to meet the 
assig-nee, consisting- of J. W. Barnes, H. Esch, Jr., T. E. 
Torrison, G. B. Burnett, H. C. Richards, J. Nagle, J. Schuet- 
te and D. Boehmer. A meeting- was held three days later 
but no action taken, although workmen were rapidly leaving 
the city, leading Editor Nagle to remark in that week's edi- 
tion of the Pilot: "Died, on Friday evening April 15th 1892 
of inanity and lack of enterprise the city of Manitowoc." In 
fact the magnitude of the disaster had seemed to paralyze all 
efforts. Soon, however, a committee was appointed to raise 
subscriptions for a new plant and by May $75,000 had been 
subscribed. ■ 

As April wore on, however, the true condition of the 
bank became evident. The liabilities were made public at 
$473,084 with assets amounting to $536,805.07, of which 
$374,207.84 was in paper, much being almost worthless, if 
not entirely so. Of the assets S224,206 was due from the 
Manitowoc Manufacturing Company and the condition of 
that concern was thus the determining factor in the size of 
the dividends. The inventory of the assignee revealed the 
fact that there were about $40,000 in liabilities besides the 
amount owing the bank, while the total assets amounted to 
only $193,000, including $60,000 insurance money, for which 
the assignees of both the bank and company receipted, there 
being much question as to its application. The liabilities of 
the Wisconsin Central Mills consisted of $75,000 in loans from 
the bank, $16,000 in mortgages and $3000 in accounts, the 
only assets being the mill property and some accounts. With 
these conditions revealed feeling grew high and on May lOth 
the creditors met at the Turner Hall, electing E. K. RanS 
president and H. L. Markham secretary. Upon legal advice a 
committee was appointed, consisting of Dr. R. S O'Connell, 



285 

H. Stolze and H. Baerutli, who looked over the books and on 
May 20th a second meeting was called, two hundred deposit- 
ors being" present. Another committee was appointed, con- 
sisting of Emil Baenscli, S. A. Wood, T. E. Torrison, H. 
Vits and C. Hanson, who hired an expert accountant to ex- 
amine the books. In the meantime the assignee had made as 
advantageous settlements as he could with the other heavy 
debtors of the bank. The expert's report submitted in July 
revealed the fact that only $35,000 of the S50,000"capital had 
ever been paid in, that no stockholders' meeting had been 
held and that other irregularities were present. The ar- 
rests of the officers of the bank followed later in July and af- 
ter many trials the president of the concern was found 
guilty, the supreme court refusing to reverse the decision. 
In the meantime dividends were paid in installments of 10, 15 
and 4>^ per cent, a total of 29^ per cent. Much collateral 
litigation grew out of the failure. The county sued the 
bondsmen of the county treasurer for the loss it sustained, be- 
ing represented by Attorneys Schmitz and Kirwan of Man- 
itowoc and Gen, Winckler of Milwaukee, vihile Nash and 
Nash of Manitowoc and Gabriel Bouck of Oshkosh appeared 
for the defendants. Tlie suit had been begun only after 
much consideration at the spring meeting in 1892 and was 
conducted on the part of the county by a committee consist- 
ing of Supervisors Gleeson, Niquette, Danforth, Rand and 
Burt. The county was greatly pressed for funds during this 
year on account of the failure. It won the suit in both the 
circuit and supreme courts but finally the bondsmen asked for 
a compromise. This was granted, with onlv two negative 
votes, b}' the county board and the county received $12,000 or 
about one third of the net loss. By April 1896 Assignee 
Richards of the Manitowoc Manufacturing Company an- 
nounced a final settlement of the affairs of that concern, the 
dividend being about 5)4 per cent, the insurance having been 
transferred final'y to tl.e bank. A final settlement of the 
Shove affairs was made in the summer of 1900 and Assignee 
Piening was discharged from dut3^ 

On December 26 1891 the First National Bank of Manito- 



286 

woe liquidated and the State Bank of Manitowoc was formed 
by the stockholders, a fine new brick structure being- erected 
on the corner of North Eighth and York streets. Increased 
business followed and everything bore the outward semblance 
of prosperity until the spring- of 1893. As early as May 18th 
a run began and on the morning of June 6th the following 
notice was posted on the bank doors: "Owing to a run on 
the bank, which has continued for three weeks, its ofi&cers 
have concluded lo make an assignment for the benefit of all 
the creditors. This has accordingly been done and the presi- 
dent of the bank, C. C. Barnes, has turned over his private 
means and property, including his homestead to be used for 
the same purpose. J. W. Barnes, Assignee." 

The day before the suspension $60,000 had been with- 
drawn from deposit and in the preceding week a total of 
$110,000. It developed that the bank had not the capital it 
had been supposed to have possessed and that it had lost 
heavily in lumber deals. The result of this failure was a run 
upon the other two banks in the county, which the Manito- 
woc Savings Bank easily averted by a display of its magnifi- 
cent backing and to which the Bank of Two Rivers tempo- 
rarily succumbed, making an assignment to J. K. Hamilton, 
Business was greatly hampered by this condition of affairs 
and as summer progressed industry became well nigh dead. 
The assignee of the State Bank made a report on June 29th, 
which showed the assets to be $237,254, of which about $100,- 
000 was in worthless paper, while the liabilities were $157,- 
755.25. Ten days earlier the bank of Two Rivers had re^. 
opened for business and it was soon seen that its suspension 
had been more a measure of caution than of necessity. In 
July at the suit of certain depositors both the president and 
cashier of the defunct institution were arrested but the death of 
both, occurring soon after, put an end to the legal proceedings. 
Assignee Barnes settled up the affairs of the bank with 
great dispatch and by May 1894, a final settlement was made, 
the creditors accepting 62 per cent. 

The banking necessities of the city, crippled by these 
two failures, opened the way to a new institution, which 



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SCENE NEAR RAPIDS 



287 

started business in the building- formerly occupied by the 
State Bank on May 7 1894. It was known as the State Bank 
of Manitowoc and was incorporated with a capital of $50,000. 
On Aug-ust 30th it was reorg-anized as the National Bank of 
Manitowoc with L. D. Moses as president and Clarence Hill 
as cashier and a capital increased to $100,000, the directors 
being" all, with the exception of L. J. Nash, outside men. 
Cashier Hiil was succeeded by G. J. Moses in 1899, who in 
turn gave way to F. T. Zentner a year later. Another bank 
was added March 6 1901 by the opening- of the German- 
American on the corner of Jay and Ninth Streets, a new brick 
and stone building- 30 by 80 feet being- erected for its occu- 
pancy. It was incorporated with a capital of S100,000; L. 
D. Moses was chosen president, and F. T. Zentner cashier. 
The openirg of the twentieth century also witnessed the es- 
tablishment of a new banking- institution in the villag-e of 
Kiel under the name of the State Bank of Kiel with d Heins 
as president and R. Kiel as cashier. Two Rivers was chosen 
as the location of a second bank when on January 1 1902 the 
Saving-s Bank with a capital of $25,000 opened its doors. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY. 



The growth of a community in commercial and manu- 
facturing- interests is always difficult to describe since it is 
well nigh impossible to balance properly the weight which 
different factors have had in the shaping of industrial forces. 
To the agricultural growth reference has been made and, of 
course, this was a most important element in making the 
county a center of export. Of the development of transporta- 
tion facilities by both land and water sufficient has also been 
said. There remains, however, to be given a brief outline of 
the progress of the manufacturing and business industries of 
the county. 

One of the earliest industries to be started was that of 
the brewing of beer, in which Wisconsin as a whole, even be- 
fore the Civil War, had taken a leading place. In 1848 there 
were established the Rahr brewery at Manitowoc and the 
Mueller brewery at Two Rivers. The former burned to the 
ground some years later but was rebuilt and has since been en- 
larged year by year until it ranks among the largest in the 
state. In the next succeeding years the Pautz brewery, the 
predecessor of the present Schreihart Brewing Company was 
also established on a firm footing. Other breweries were 
started by Kunz & Bleser, C. Fricke and F. Willinger in 



289 

Manitowoc, J. Lindstedt at Mishicot, G. Kunz at Branch, 
Gutheil Bros, at Kiel, A. Chloupek in Kossuth, M. Schmidt 
in Rapids and C. Scheibe at Centerville. Of these only the 
Kunz & Bleser brewery and the Gutheil brewery at Kiel are 
still in existence. In 1900 a new industry along- this line 
was started in the erection of a malting- plant and elevator by 
the Manitowoc Malting Compan}^ of which ex-Mayor Wil- 
liam Rahr is the president. 

Of the beginnings of the Two Kivers factory system 
mention has been made. It has achieved a world wide repu- 
tation as regards the sale of its woodenware and type. The 
I'wo Rivers Manufacturing- Company was organized by H. 
H. Smith in 1860, althoug-h the manufacture of tubs and 
pails had been commenced by him previously, when in 1851 
he and W. H, Honey had built a factory. Later Messrs. 
Smith and H. C. Hamilton worked up the industry to a most 
successful point and they were later joined by the Mann 
brothers, Joseph, Henry and Leopold, who in later years ac- 
quired the sole interest in the plant. Additions were fre- 
quently made and the factory now employs a small army of 
men. The business of wood type manufacture was started by 
J. E. and Henry Hamilton in 1881 and has since g-rown to ex- 
tensive proportions. Althoug-h the lumber industry has 
larg-el}' disappeared from the eastern section of Wisconsin 
planing- mills are still numerous in the county and in 1886 a 
beginning- was made along- these lines that meant much for 
the future. In that year the mill of Hubbard and Noble, de- 
voted to the manufacture of staves, hubs and similar articles, 
was started in Manitowoc and in two ^ years the concern 
was bought out by the Manitowoc Manufacturing- Company, 
of which F. Haley became the manag-er, local capital being- 
interested to a larg-e extent, the object being- the manufacture 
of school seats and furniture. This concern soon established 
an enormous business, considering- its small means and em- 
ployed several hundred skilled laborers under Manag-ers Haley 
and Smith but the destructive fire before mentioned led to its 
insolvency and dissolution. Another extensive plant was 



290 

erected a year later by private subscription, which after ex- 
isting- for a number of years as an independent corporation, 
was finally absorbed into the American School Furniture Com- 
pany. Other plants of a similar nature in the county are the 
Eg"g"ers Veneer Company of Two Rivers, the Kiel Wooden- 
ware Company, the Manitowoc Building- & Supply Co., the 
Western Toy Co., and the Noble Mfg-. Co., of Reedsville. 

Woolen mills were established in the sixties by P. Pierce 
at the Rapids and by J. Vilas & Company at Manitowoc but 
the water power was not sufficient or steady enoug-h to make 
the venture a success. In 1881 a similar institution was open- 
ed by Denway & Pautz at Manitowoc but it was destroyed by 
fire after a short operation. The Two Rivers Knitting- Com- 
pany organized in 1901 is a more recent attempt at the manu- 
facture of articles in clothing-. Tanning- has always been an 
important industry in the county as well. The Wisconsin 
Leather Company, org-anized by C. Whitcomb and R. W. Al- 
len, Milwaukee capitalists, was the pioneer along- this line 
and erected a plant near Two Rivers in 1851, maintaining- it 
for many years and at Two Creeks G. Pfister & Co., also of 
Milwaukee, early established itself. In Manitowoc the Sher- 
man Leather Co., started in business in 1854, the Schultz tan- 
nery seven and the Vits tannery ten years later, while the 
Dobbert plant was built in 1865. Other concerns have since 
been opened but a majority of them have discont nued. A 
new industry was started at Manitowoc in 1902, that of the 
manufacture of mattresses, the Manitowoc Mattress Co. being- 
the name of the corporation. Glue is also an important prod- 
uct of the city, the Manitowoc Glue Co. being- the founder of 
the industry. The Stolz Mfg-. Co. and H. Drost Paper Box 
Co. help to make the city known by their products, tinsel and 
paper g-oods. Cig-ar manufacture, too, is an important indus- 

try. 

The iron industry in its various forms has also eng-aged 
a considerable part of local capital. Among- the earliest 
foundries to be established was that of E. J. Smalley, later 
known as the Smalley Manufacturing- Company, started in 
1857. It was burned out in 1875 but reorg-anized eig-ht years 



291 

iater and commeticed the manufacture of feed cutters and 
agricultural implements on a large scale. The Dumke found- 
ry was opened in 1861 while the Richards Iron Works owes 
its orig-in to a small shop started by Jonah Richards soon af- 
ter, and it in turn was closely followed by the establishment 
of a shop by Prochazka & Chloupek. The Manitowoc Boiler 
Works was started by William Hess and F. Vader in the lat- 
ter eig-hties and has since been conducted and enlarg-ed by the 
former, the labor employed being- entirely of the skilled varie- 
ty. Tbe manufacture of axes was also commenced by Martin 
& Willott in 1872, since which time it has g-rown steadily, 
now being- controlled by Joseph and William Willott. Along- 
the line of metallic products must also be mentioned those 
made of aluminum. Two factories, the Two Rivers Alum- 
inum Co. and the Manitowoc Aluminum Novelty Co. are de- 
voted to this industry. In the early nineties the manufacture 
of pearl buttons was an important industry in Manitowoc, 
there being- at that time several factories but chang-es in the 
tariff made it no long-er profitable to engag-e in it. The 
manufacture of bricks was introduced into the county by F. 
Ostenfeldt, then of Calumet County, in 1876 and since that 
time some half dozen companies have started in the business, 
notable amobg them the plants owned by the Manitowoc Clay 
Co. 

Manitowoc County has also taken an important place in 
the manufacture of food products. For many years its flour 
mills were famous. Among- the first to commence an exten- 
sive business was the Oriental Mills, established by John 
Schuette and A. Wahle at Manitowoc in 1869. The Wiscon- 
sin Central Mills were built by A. Wahle and L. Haupt soon 
after and came into the possession of Jacob Fliegler, being 
discontinued after the panic in 1892. In the same year the 
Manitowoc Mills owned by Truman and Cooper and estab- 
lished in 1874 were discontinued. Other institutions of this 
kind were the Wehausen Mills at Two Rivers, built in 1878, 
the Klingholz Mills at Rapids and several smaller ones in 
various parts of the county. In 1875 residents of Mani- 
towoc formed the Citizens' Wheat Buying Association and 



292 

r 

subscribed $12,000 for the building- of an elevator at the foot 
of South Seventh street. The structure was later leased and 
then sold to private parties. In 1870 A. M. Richter com- 
menced the manufacture of vinegar, which has since been 
a most important product of local export. But chief 
among food products originating in Manitowoc are canned 
vegetables and particularly peas. The establishment of this 
industry was due to Albert Laudreth, an energetic seedsman, 
who in 1883 built a warehouse in Manitowoc. After many 
years spent in dealing in seed peas he conceived the idea of 
canning the sweet varieties of that vegetable for the market 
and built a factory for that purpose which commenced opera- 
tion in 1890. His brands became famous and the industry 
soon grew to enormous proportions. Several companies have 
been formed to prosecute the business, among- them the Man- 
itowoc Pea Packing Co. in 1898, the East Wisconsin Canning 
Co. in Manitowoc two years later, the E. J. Vaudreuil Canning 
Co. of Two Rivers and the St. Nazianz and Centerville Can- 
ning Cos. Some of these have placed in the market other 
varieties of canned vegetables and the soil of the county has 
proved very adaptable to their growth. In 19C0 the Manito- 
woc Pickling- Company started operations and a year later 
the H. Johannes Co. of Two Rivers was organized for similar 
purposes. A large seed business has also been built up by 
the Madsen Seed Co., and the Manitowoc Seed Co. 

In its mercantile life Manitowoc County has been well 
represented by men of integrity and business acumen and its 
retail and wholesale establishments are a credit to them. Two 
of the former, O. Torrison Co. and Schuette Bros., have had 
a phenomenal growth of over fifty years. As a jobbing- point 
it is represented by Plumb & Nelson Co., wholesale grocers, 
the Rand & Roemer Hardware Co. and the T. Schmidtmann 
Sons Co. 



293 



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J^ -Too CO ooo rt 



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r^co 0» "^ coo "^r^CJco w cnr^Oco mo O 
fs 1-^ >r)0 O cocoO T«-'u->Ot^"*f^^' Ocot^ 
(X) TtMcoO^T^u^inoOoeoOOOcoinfin 

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o 
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■-i0^e<c^")-rMrr ininfi^" or^ "^ N 

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APPENDIX B. 



MARINE STATISTICS. 



CLEARANCES AND TONNAGE. 

Year Clearonces Tonnage 

Manitowoc Two Rivers Manitowoc Two Rivers 

1901 2112 2,069,720 

1900 2089 1,724,000 

1899 1990 1560 1,671,523 436,384 

98 1943 1566 1,592.727 336,190 

97 i6j3 1644 2,083,799 255,713 

96 iioi 814 609,811 239,400 

95 740 959 466,260 202,405 

94 965 2104 482,010 316,420 

93 886 1937 415,594 80,155 

92 1174 794 600,596 93,275 

91 1040 316 546,136 43,928 

90 998 416,317 24.628 

89 652 447 225,637 41,350 

88 614 419 205,551 29,540 

87 678 211,853 

86 573 280 177,625 22,960 

85 670 307 202,595 23,450 

84.... 953 392 285,696 26,236 

83 1030 421 305,984 27,600 

82 1191 320 418,081 16,060 

81 793 258 269,907 12,280 

80 .... 829 130 288,857 7,500 

79 886 410 301,665 124,000 



78 873 375 333,997 l37,ooo 

77 587 400 157,876 150,000 

76 863 390 300,047 159,000 

74 994 490 

73 1235 539 

72 1289 326 

71 1117 302 

^9 994 

66 689 151,900 

59 1071 

55 815 115 

51 399 

50 146 

49 145 



CRAFT BUILT AT MANITOWOC. 



Year Craft Tonnage 

1847 Schr Citizen 60 

52 Challenge 6S 

Defiance no 

Convoy 64 

53 Marj' Stockton 275 

Piatt 25 

North Yuba 140 

Lomira 120 

William Jones 154 

Blackhawt 1 10 

Gesine 99 

Col. Glover 123 

54 Transit 121 

Toledo 100 

Clipper City 126 

North Star 175 

E. M. Shoyer 120 

55 Anna Thorine 89 

56 Guido 116 

Belle iiS 

S. Bates 139 

57 Trial 36 

El Tempo 213 

A. Baensch 75 

H Rand 130 

60 Two Charlies no 

63 Chicago Board of Trade 422 

Sea Gem 103 

64 Nabob (Waukesha) 310 

66 S.A.Wood 314 

67 Fleetwing 344 

A. Richards 285 

68 J. Phillips 147 

69 L. McDonald (Lily E) 210 

C.L.Johnston 199 

70 J. A. Stomach 143 

J • B. Newland 1 73 

Industry 55 

Eva 15 

H. E. McAllister 237 



Builder 
Joseph Edwards 
Bates & Son 
W. Ham 
Joseph Edwards 
Bates & Son 
Joseph Hughes 
Bates & Son 
C. Sorenson 
Joseph Harbridge 
Bates & Son 
H. Rand 
Bates & Son 
H. Rand 
C. Sorenson 
Bates & Son 
C. Sorenson 
C. Sorenson 
C. Sorenson 
C. Sorenson 
Bates & Son 
Bates & Son 
H. Rand 
S. Goodwin 
G. S. Rand 
G. S. Rand 
R. L. Bell 
R. L. Bell 
S. Bates 
G. S. Rand 
H. Burger 
H. Burger 
J. Richards 
E. W. Packard 
J. Hanson 
E. W. Packard 
J. Hanson 
C. Henderson 
P. Larson 
W. McCullom 
J. Hanson 



71 ,. K. L.Bruce 34 

'Espindola 54 

G.Knapp 186 

W. Keller 263 

L. Meeker 312 

, C, Neilson 315 

72 Willis 260 

C. B. Windiate 332 

M. A. Muir 347 

Minnehaha 60 

T. H. Howland 299 

M. L. Higgle 310 

City of Manitowoc 310 

73 C. C. Barnes 582 

Blazing Star 279 

L J. Conway 90 

Felicitous 199 

. . . . , Woodstock (R. Kanters) 164 

Falmouth 234 

Hunting Boy. 55 

Lydia 83 

C Luling 233 

George Murray 790 

Mystic Star 339 

G. Pfister 694 

H. C. Richards 700 

H. M, Scove 305 

Thistle 363 

G C. Trumphoff 347 

74... •• J. I. Case 828 

J. Duvall 132 

, Julia Larson 59 

Merchant 66 

Mocking Bird 1 59 

Rap 8 

Ramadary 22 

David Vance 774 

75 H. B Burger 214 

J- ^- Jones 236 

L. A Simpson 227 

Success 161 

76 Lottie Cooper 265 

Rover 23 

Tennie and Laura 57 



297 

Hanson & Scove 
P. Larson 
P. Larson 
J. Hanson 
Hanson & Scove 
Hanson & Scove 
P. Larson 
J. Butler 
Hanson & Scove 
M. Ornes 
Hanson & Scove 
Hanson .& Scove 
J, Richards 
H. Burger 
J, Richards 
Larson & Son 
P. Larson 
P. Larson 
Hanson & Scove 
Captain Christiansen 
Rand & Burger 
P. Larson 
G. S. Rand 
J. Butler 
J. Hanson 
H. Burger 
Hanson & Scove 
Rand & Burger 
J. Butler 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
P. Larson 
P. Larson 
J. Richards 
J. Hanson 
Capt. Worden 
J. Butler 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Capt.Jorgenson 
Rand & Burger 
W. Dow 
Captain Jorgenson 



77 H. Esch 43 

B.Jones 45 

80 Penobscot 260 

May Richards 511 

81 Isolda Bock 70 

Melitta 83 

E.B.Maxwell 360 

Olga 308 

T, L. Parker 628 

Tallahassee 760 

Lalla Rookh 60 

82 i... Alice 307 

Burt Barnes 134 

W.A.Goodman 324 

J. L. McClaren 286 

Mishicott 73 

83 Emm L. Nielson 90 

84 G. J. Boyce 319 

Linerla 77 

85 James H. Hall 100 

88 Lizzie Metzner 77 

W. C. Kimball 33 

89 Cora 381 

90 S. O. Neff 346 

Actor 30 

92 Myrtle Camp 49 

1861 Strs. Sunbeam 450 

Union 434 

66 Northwest (Greyhound) 621 

Orion 600 

68 Manitowoc 569 

69 Sheboygan 624 

Corona 470 

70 Norman 996 

71 Muskegon 618 

72 Oconto 505 

Menominee (Iowa) 796 

73 De Pere (Michigan) 736 

74 Chicago 747 

79 ,. Imperial 68 

80 Ludington (Georgia) 842 

81 Rube Richards 815 

Thomas H. Smith 281 

82 J. C. Perrett(Ames) 537 

R.A.Seymour, Jr. 131 



j. Sutler 
Capt. Knudsoo 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Capt. Jorgenson 
Hanson & Rand 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
P. Larson 
P. Larson 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Burger & Burger 
Burger & Burger 
Roeber Bros. 
Burger & Burger 
W. Bates 
W. Bates & Son 
G. S. Rand 
G. S. Rand 
G. S. Rand 
G. S Rand 
G. S Rand 
G. S. Rand 
G. S. Rand 
G. S. Rand 
G. S. Rand 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 
Rand & Burger 



299 



86 . , , Marinette 

87 E. M. Tice 

. .' A. D. Hayward 

Rand 

Francis Hinton 

88 Mark B. Covell 

Petoskey 

Fannie Hart 

89 City of Racine 

J. E. Hall 

Isabella J. Boyce 

90 Indiana 

City of Marquette 

Eugene Hart 

91 Edwin Buckley 

94 Sydney O. Neflf 

Lotus 

1903 Chequamegon 

1879 Barges I. Stephenson 

80 S. M. Stephenson 

Henry Whitbeck 

81,... A. A. Carpenter 



61 


Burger & Burger 


728 


Burger & Burger 


304 


Burger & Burger 


191 


Burger & Burger 


417 


Burger & Burger 


261 


Burger & Burger 


735 


Burger & Burger 


476 


Burger & Burger 


1041 


Burger & Burger 


343 


Burger & Burger 


36S 


Burger & Burger 


11:7 


Burger & Burger 


341 


Burger & Burger 


407 


Burger & Burger 


414 


Burger & Burger 


435 


Burger & Bur er 


219 


Burger & Burger 


461 


' Rand & Burger 


5" 


Rand & Burger 


49S 


Rand & Burger 


540 


Rand & Burger 



Year 
1868. 

73. 

75. 

77. 

80. 

81. 

. 82. 

83. 

84. 
87. 
90. 

91. 
92. 



TUGS. 
Name Tonnage Year 

. Kittie Smoke 75 

. W. Richards 19 

. Frank Canfield 48 

. Minnie 40 

.1. L. Wheeler 51 

.M. A. Knapp 18 

. Arctic 52 

. George Pankratz 63 

.C. M. Charnley 83 

. Duncan City 79 

.G. Williams 46 

Wau Bun 63 

.H. Ludington 47 

. George Cooper 53 

.1. M. Leatham (Raber) 50 

.Anne Belle 43 



1900 



Name Tonnage 

. . Alice E . Shipman 40 

. . Fearless 28 

..S. A.Dixon 29 

. . Julia C. Hammel 28 

..R. M Cooper 27 

..Sidney T. Smith 71 

. . Sedonie 14 

. C. W, Endress 73 

. . Bradwell 44 

. .Alphard 32 

..Two Myrtles 96 

..R. E. Burke 73 

...Angler 14 

.J. B. Bradwell 62 

. .J, F. May 62 



APPENDIX C. 



COUNTY OFFICERS OF MANITOWOC. 



COUNTY JUDGES. 
1848 1849, H W, Colby, Dem. 1874 1877, Ten Eyck G. Olmstead, 

1850 1852, Ezekiel Ricker, Dem. Dem. 

1853 1854, George Reed, Dem. 1878 1881, Michael Kirwan Dem. 

1855 1856, George C. Lee. Dem. 1882 1885, R. D Smart, Rep 

1856 1857, Isaac Parish, Rep. 1886 1888, C. H. Sinmidt, Dem, 

1858 1861, Charles H. Walker, Dem. 1888 1893, Emil Baensch, Rep 
1862 1864, H. S. Pierpont, Dem. 1894 1895, Frank Manseau, Dem. 
1864 1869, Geofge Barker, Dem 1895 1901, J S Anderson, Rep. 

1870 1873, W. W. Waldo, Dem. 1902 John Chloupek, Dtm. 

SHERIFFS. 
1848 OliverC. Hubbard, Whig 1875 1876 Albert Wittenberg, Dem. 

184S 1850, George W. Diirgin, Dem. 1877 1878, Peter Mnlliolland, Dem. 

1851 1852, W F. Snyder, Ind. 1879 1880, P. J. Pierce, Dem. 
1853 1854, 13. H Van Valkenburgh, 1881 1882, M. H. Muiphy, Dem 

Dem. 1883 1884, John Bibinger, Rep. 

1855 1856, F. W. Adams, Rep. 18S5 1S86, M. H. Murphy, Dem. 

1857 1858, T. A. H. Edwards, Dem. 1887 18S8, John Bolen, Dem. 

1859 i860, Louis Kemper, Dem. 1S89 1890, Frank Zeman, Dem. 

1861 1862. Wyman Murphy, Rep. 1891 1892, John Bolen, Dem. 

1862 R. T. Blake, Rep. 1893 1894 William .^tephani, Dem. 

1863 1864. Ira P. Smith, Dem. 1895 1896, Henry Schmidt, Rep, 
1895 1866, George S. Glover, Dem. 1897 1898. Chris Muth, Rep. 

1867 i863, Robert T. Blake, Rep. 1899 1900, Henry Lehrmann, Dem. 
1869 1870, Peter Mulholland, Dem. 1901 1902, Pierre Burt, Rep. 

1871 1872, Albert Wittenberg, Dem. 1903 1904. Walter C. Pellett, Dem. 
1873 1874, R. D. Smart, Rep. 



301 



TREASURERS. 



1839 




1840 


1844. 


1845 




1846 


1849, 


1850 


1851, 


1852 




1853 


1854, 


1855 


1856, 


1857 


i860, 


I86I 


1864, 


1839 




1840 


1841, 


1842 


1843, 


1844 




1845 




1846 




1847 


1848, 


1849 


1850, 


I85I 


1854, 


1855 


1858, 


1839 


1841, 


1841 


1844, 


1845 


1846, 


1847 


1848, 


1848 




1849 


1850, 


I85I 




:852 




1853 


1854, 


1855 


1856, 


1857 


1 86c, 


1861 


1962, 


1863 


1S64, 



Peter Johnston 
O. C. Hubbard' 
Evander M. Soper 
Pliny Pierce, Whig 
Adam Bleser, Dem. 
S. W. Smith. Rep. 
William Bach, Dem. 
Gerald Kremmers, Rep. 
C. A. Reuter, Dem. 
Oscar Koch, Rep. 

REGISTERS 
Jacob W. Conroe 
Thomas W. Baker 
Pliny Pierce 
Liberty Clough 
Paul M Champlin 
Charles H. Champlin 
John P. Champlin 
A. W. Preston. Whig 
Frederick Salomon, Whig 
Albert N. Baker, Dem. 

COUNTY 
J. W. Conroe 
Pliny Pierce 
Charles H. Champlin 
J. P. Champlin 
Charles Musson 
E KT. Ellis, Dem. 
H. C. Hamilton, Dem. 
Frederick Borcherdt, Rep 
C. A. Reuter, Dem. 
Carl Roeser, Rep. 
G, W. Burnet, Dem. 
J. W. Thombs, Dem. 
A. Wittmann. Dem. 



1865 1866, P. J. Blesch, Dem. 
1867 1869, Henry Baetz, Rep. 
i86g 1870, J. C. Eggers, Dem. 
1871 1876, Quirin Ewen, Rep. 

1876 1886, G. Damler, Dem. 
1887 1894, C. A Gielow, Dem. 
1895 1896, Henry Goedjen, 

1897 1900, Peter Kaufmann, Rep. 
igoi Charles Hacker, Rep. 

OF DEEDS. 

1859 1862, Henry Baetz, Rep. 

1863 1866, J. C. Eggers, Dem. 

1867 1876, John Franz, Dem. 

1877 1879, John Proeli, Dem. 
1879 1881, August Brasch, Dem. 

1881 A. D. Jones, Rep. 

1882 1888. F. P. Mueller, Deb. 
1889 1892, Theodore Wolf, t>em. 
1893 i8g8, Julius Lindstedt, Dein. 
1899 Bruno Mueller, Dem. 

CLERKS. ; -'•'>■' 

1865 1868, William Bach, Dfem.' ' 
186S 1871, P. P. Fuessenich, Rep. 
1871 H. S. Pierpont, Dem. 

1871 1872, G. W. Burnet, Rep. 
1873 1S74, A. M. Richter, Rep. 
1875 1880, J. P. Wickert, Dem. 
1881 1888, H. C. Buhse, Dem. 
1S89 1894, Lruis Senglaub, Dem. 
1895 1896, Joseph Weinfurther, Dem 
1897 1898, Edward SchafBand, Rep. 
1899 1900, Arthur Zander, Dem. 
1901 Edward Schaffland, Rep. 




HARBOR VIEW IN 1900. 




MANITOWOC RIVER ABOVE BEND 1903 



803 



CLERKS 
1848 1849, Ezekiel Ricker, Dem, 
1850 C. A Reuter, Dem. 

1850 1S51, P. P. Smith, Whig 

1852 F. Ulrich, Dem. 

1853 Fred Borcherdt, Dem 

1854 1S57, C. A. Reuter, Dem. 
1857 1861, T. G. Olmstead, Dem. 
1 861 1863, J ere Crowley, Dem. 
1864 1865, Joseph Francl, Dem. 



OP COURT. 
1866 1867, P. J. Pierce, Dem. 
1868 1869, Joseph Francl, Dem. 
1870 1877, Adolph Piening, t)em. 
1878 1886, Hubert Faige, Dein. 
1887 1S92, John Chloupek.J Dem. 
1893 1896, James P. Nolan, Dem 
1897 1898, Gulic Hougen, Rep 
1899 P. J McMahon, Dem. 



DISTRICT ATTORNEYS. 



1849 
1851 
1853 
1854 

1855 
1857 
1859 
1863 
1865 



1850, 
1853, 
1854. 

1856, 
1859, 
1862, 
1864, 
1868, 
1872, 



E. H. ElHs, Dem. 
J. H. W. Colby, Dem. 
James L. K3de, Whig. 
N. Wollmer, Dem. 
W. H. Hamilton, Rep. 
George L. Lee, Dem. 
J D. Markham, Rep. 
W. M. Nichols, Dem. 
George N. Woodin, Dem. 
E B. Treat, Dem. 



1873 1874, William J. Turner. Dem. 
1875 1876, Henry Sibree, Dem, 
1877 1880, A. J. Schmitz, Dem. 
1881 1886, William H. Walker. Dem. 
1887 1892, A. J. Schmitz, Dem. 
i5<93 1896, John Chloupek, Dem. 
1S97 1898. A. P. Schenian, Rep, 
1899 1900, E. L. Schmitz, Dem. 
1901 A L. Hougen, Rep, 



SURVEYORS. 

18.11 David Giddings. 1868 

i8j4 1845, E. D. Beardsley, Dem. 1869 1872, 

1846 1848,, Pliny Pierce, Whig. 1873 1874, 

1&49 1850, E. D. Beardsley, Dem. 1875 1876^ 

1851 H. L Allen, Dem. 1877 1882, 

1852 1856, Fayette Armsby, Rep. 1883 1884, 
1857 1858, C. Palmer, Dem. 1885 1S96, 
1859 i860, P Brennan, Dem. 1897 1898, 
i86i 1862, Charles Wimpf, Rep. 1899 1900 
1863 1864. P, Brennan, Dem. 1901 

1865 1868, J. B. Burke, Dem. 

CORONERS. 
i8^8 O. C. Hubbard. Whig 

1849 1850, Joseph Edwards, Dem 

1851 C. W. Durgin, Dem 

1852 1854, Lyman Emerson, Dem 
1855 1856, Stephen Bates, Rep 
1857 1858, Hanson Rand, Dem 
1859 i860, Thomas Robinson, Dem 
1861 1862, Jacob Halvorsen, Rep 
1863 1866, Thomas Robinson, Dem 



P. Brennan, Dem. 
Fayette Armsby, Rep. 
John O'Hara, Dem. 
C. Tiedemann, Dem. 
John O'Hara, Dem. 
C. Ertz, Rep. 
John O'Hara, Dem. 
Louis Pitz, Rep. 
John O'Hara, Dem. 
Louis Pitz, Rep. 



1867 


1868, 


, Franz Simon, Deip 


1869 


1870, 


John Oswald, Dem 


i87t 


1874, 


Franz Simon. Dem 


1875 


1876, 


John Oswald, Dem 


187: 


1882, 


Franz Simon, Dem 


1883 


1896, 


F. S. Luhman, Dem 


1897 


1898, 


A. C. Fraser, Rep 


1899 


1900, 


F. S. Luhman, Dem 


1901 




J. E, Meany, Dem 



304 

SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS. 
1862 B. J. VanValkenburg, D 1880 1881. C. F. Viebahn, Rep 

1862 1863, C. S Canright, Rep 1881 1890, John Nagle, Dem 

1863 J. W. Thombs, Dem 1891 1S94, Conrad E. Patzer, Dem 

1864 1869. Jere Crowley, Dem 1895 1896, A. Dassler, Dem 
1870 1875, Michael Kirwan, Dem 1897 1898, E. R Smith, Rep 

1876 1879, William A. Walker, Dem 1899 Fred C. Christiansen, D 

MUNICIPAL JUDGES. 
1S95 1901, Isaac Craite, Dem 1901 A. P. Schenian, Rep 

CHAIRMEN COUNTY BOARD. 
J. G. Conroe, , 1S63 Alanson Hickok, Cato, 

Ben. Jones & R.M.Eberts 1864 1865, Jason Pellett. Gibson, 



1839 
1840 
1841 

1S43 
1844 

1845 
1846 
:847 
1848 
1849 

1830 
1851 
1852 

1853 
1854 
1855 
1856 

1S57 
1858 
1859 

i860 1861 
1862 



R. M, Eberts, 

Oliver Clawson, 

Joel R. Smith, 

Oliver Clawson, 

Joel R. Smith, 

Oliver Clawson, 

Charles McAllister, 

J. M. Sprague, 

Andrew J. Vieau, Man. 

S. W. Sherwood, Rapids 

William Bach, Man. 
Peleg Glover, Man. 

John F. Sinns, Man. 
Peleg Glover, Man. 

Adam Bleser, Rapids 
\(^. Aldrich, Two Rivers 
C. W. Fitch, Man. 
H. C, Hamilton, Two R 
Alanson Hickok, Cato 
A. C. Pool, Eaton, 



1 866 1867, G. Damler, Two Rivers, 

1868 Fredbclimitz, Newton 

1869 Louis Koehne, Mishicott, 
18.70 Jacob Grimm, Cato, 

1871 Richard Donovan, Rapids 

1872 H. F. Hubbard. Rapids, 

1873 1875, G. Damler, Two Rivers, 



1876 C. H. Walker, Rapids, 

1877 Fred Schmitz, Newton, 

1878 Thomas Thornton, Cato, 

1579 Thomas Mohr, Kossuth 

1580 J. Lindstedt, Mishicott, 

1581 John Carey, Meeme, 
1882 1883, J. Lindstedt, Mishicott, 

1884 1885, J«hn Carey, Meeme, 
1886 Thomas-Mohr, Kossuth, 
18S7 1889, James P. Nolan, M. Grove 
1890 1894, Henry Goedjen, Two R 

1895 1898, Henry Lehrman, T. Creeks 

1893 1901, W. C. Maertz, M. Grove 
Lyman Emerson, Rapids 1901 1903, Henry Lehrman, T. Creeks 

MEMBERS OF COUNTY BOARD. 

CATO. 

1885 B. Amunds 

1886 188S, John Murphy 

1889 B. Amunds 

1890 1893, P. J. Conway 

1894 1895, Frank Wilhelm 

1896 M. Pankratz 

1897 1898, Riley Olson 
1899 1901, L, P. Grimm 
1 90 1 Peter J. Murphy 



1858 .1859, Alanson Hickok 
i860 Jacob Grimm 

1861 W. H. Tucker 

1870 1871, Jacob Grimm (x) 
1872 1876, B. Amunds 
1877 1878, Thomas Thornton 
1S79 1881, B. Amunds 
1882 1884, John Halloran 

(x) County system 1S61 70 



305 









CENTERVILLE. 




iSso 




Charles Koehler 


1870 




A. Mill 


1851 




J. Schwarz 


1871 


1873. 


, J. Mill 


1852 




Charles Ulrich 


1874 


i877; 


, D. Schneider 


1853 


1854 


, M. Reiff 


1S7S 


1879, 


Pe er Werner 


1855 




E. Eichoff 


1880 


IS8I. 


, Jacob Kestley 


1856 




C. F. Uhlig 


1882 




J. Mill 


1857 




H. Poppe 


18S3 


1887, 


Jacob Kestiey 


1858 




F. Schulte 


188S 


I89I, 


Joseph Schneider 


1859 




F. Greiner 


1892 


1894, 


Jacob Kestley 


T8bo 




Henry Poppe 


1S95 


I90I, 


Fred Jacobi 


1861 




Phillip Schneider 


1902 




John Reinemann 








COOPER STOWN. 




1858 


1859, 


J. R. Weber 


1886 


1887, 


William Bruss 


i860 


1861. 


, John Touhey 


1888 




John Touhey 


1870 




Thomas Jaraneck 


1889 




A. Gauger 


1871 


1875. 


John Touhey 


1890 


1892, 


J. W Wanish 


1876 


1877, 


A Ganger 


1893 




Albert Krieser 


1878 




John Touhey 


1895 




Albert Arens 


1879 




A Ganger 


1897 


1899, 


R^ Drews 


1880 


1883, 


, John Touhey 


1900 




John Wanish 


18S4 


1885, 


A. Ganger 


I90I 
EATON. 




Albert Krieser 


1852 




Georg-e Monroe 


1878 




Fred Swenson 


1853 




Ule«01eson 


1879 




Fred Schvvalbe 


1854 




A, C Pool 


1880 


1882. 


Fred Swenson 


1S55 




N. R. Johnson 


1883 


I8S6, 


M. Ranch 


1856 




S D. Clark 


18S7 




Fred Swenson 


1857 




A. McNulty 


1888 




Theodore Wolf 


1858 




F. Boucher 


18S9 


I89I, 


Thomas Hoppe 


1859 




M. McGuire 


1892 


1895, 


Fred Schvvalbe 


1860 


1861, 


A C. Pool 


1896 


IS97, 


F. Schad 


1870 


1872, 


Anton Stoll 


1898 


1S99, 


, J. Johnson 


1873 




P. O'Shea 


1900 


1902, 


John F. Koeck 


1874 


1876. 


Fred Swenson 


1903 




Fred Schvvalbe 


1877 




J Roemer 









1856 1857, Alanson Hickok 
185S 1859, William Playfair 
i860 Michael DriscoU 

1861 James Mclvor 

1870 1872, Peter Stoker 
1873 1874, William Playfair 

1875 Max Boehm 

1876 1877, M. Keehan 



FKANKLIN. 

1878 Peter Stoker 

1879 1880, August Gans 
iSSi 1884, Peter -toker 
1885 1892, P. Cahill 
1893 1894, Charles Pinger 

1895 P. Cahill 

1896 1900, J. A. Kellner 
1901 Charles Pinger 



i959 i960, Jason "Pellett 
1861 A. J. Westgate 

1870 Luther Pellett 

1871 R. McCollum 

1872 C, Johnson 

1876 J Shara 

1877 187S, *-^. Steinbrecher 

1879 W Zander 
i88u 1882, C. Steinbrecher 
1883 W. Zander 

1852 1855, William Eatough 

1856 G. W. Burnet 

1857 1859, John Robinson 
1H60 i8fii, Abraham Andrews 

1870 Thomas Cross 

1871 1872, W Robinson 
187^ Thomas Mohr 

1874 1876, W. Robinson 
1877 1879, Thomas Mohr 

1880 1882, John RobinSon 

1858 Ole Oleson 

1859 James Taugher 
i860 W. Griebling 
1861 Joseph Stephenson 

1870 J. Taugher, 

1871 P. Mahoney 

1872 P. Malloy 

1873 1874, J. Taugher 

1875 1876, K, K Koble 
1877 M. Taugher 

1849 Andrew J. Vieau 

1850 G. C. O. Malmros 

1851 William Bach 

1852 Peleg Glover 

1853 J- F- Zinns 

1854 Peleg Glover 

1855 1856, James Bennett 

1857 Louis Sherman 

1858 A. W. Preston 

1859 C. Esslinger 
i860 J. D Markham 
1 861 C. Esslinger 

1870 W. F. Watrous 

1871 1872, E. J. Smalley 
1873 1874, Jacob Fliegler 



aiBSON ■^ 

1S84 1S85, Adam Tischer 

1886 W. Zander 

1887 1888, John Johnson 
1S89 1890, C. Steinbrecher 
1891 1892, Pierre Burt 

I "93 1894, William Schmidt 
1895 1900, August Slueck 
igor Albert Honey 

1902 A Mathieson 



KOSSUTH 






1883 




P. McCarthy 


1884 


1885, 


J. C. McCarthy 


1886 


1888, 


Thomas Mohr 


1889 


1892, 


George Powell 


1893 


1894. 


Peter Kornely 


1895 


il-'96. 


'I'homas Mohr 


1897 


1899 


William Spencer 


I90O 


1901, 


, Thomas Mohr 


1902 




W. H. Spencer 



LIBER1Y 

1878 James Taugher 

1879 1881, K. K. Roble 



'3, 



F. Hacker 



1886 1888, Dan Tracy 
1889 1890, K. K Roble 

1891 1894. C. F. Hacker 
189^ 1897, K K. Roble 
1898 1902, J. Finch 
1903 John Dunbar 

MANITOWOC 

1875 John Hall 

1876 E. J. Smalley 

1877 1882, F. Ostenfeldt 
1883 1885, William G. Lueps 
1886 1887, F. Ostenfeldt 
1888 1889, Jacob Fliegler 
1890 1891, Ole Benson 

1892 John Hall 

1893 Ole Benson 

1894 1896, Chris Muth 
1897 1898, John Hall 
1899 1901, Chris Muth 

1902 Joseph Roemer 

1903 Chris Muth 



307 



FIRST WARD— CTTY 



1857 G. Ki-emers 

1858 J. F. Gnyles 

1859 Henry Baetz 

1860 Fi-ed Sthultz 

1861 Henry Baetz 

1870 R. Klinohnlz 

1871 A. Wallich 

1872 A. F. Dumke 
187;^ A. Wallich 

1874 Fred Sohuette 

1875 A. Bleser 

1876 1877, C Gel bice 
1878 1879, Ernst Wagner 
1880 A. Richter 



1881 1882, Henry Greve 

1883 John Franz 

1884 William Rahr 

1885 Henry Greve 
18S6 Jacob Roemer 
1837 1888. Fred Schuettp 
1889 1890, G. Gelbke 

1891 F. Haukohl 

1892 John Staudt 

1893 1894, Henry Schmidt 
1895 1896, John Mahnke 
1897 1898, John Staudt 

1899 F. C. S.-,huitz 

1900 C. A. Groffmann 



SECOND WARD— CITY 



1885 

1886 

1887 
1888 



1857 Charles W. Fitch 

1858 1859, J. D. Mark ham 

1860 J. E Piatt 

1861 S. Goodenovv 

1870 W. W. Waldo 

1871 1H72 Edward Conway 

1873 George Cooper 

1874 1876, Peter Johnston 

1877 C E. Estabrook 

1878 1882, Peter Johnston 
1883 1884, C F. Smalley 

THIRD WARD- CITY 



Peter Johnston 
Thomas Torrison 
Peter Johnston 
R. D. Smart 



18S9 1892, Joseph Willott 

1893 Stephen Bertler 

1894 1893, Joseph Willott 

1899 John Chloupek 

1900 1902. William Frazier 
1903 L. C. Senglaub 



1870 F. Bean 

1871 George Pankra'z 

1872 P. Ber.n 

1873 August Rosso 

1874 F Bean 

1875 1876 C. H Schmidt 

1877 Henry Vits 

1878 1879, George Pankratz 

1880 A. Wittenberg 

1881 1882 J. Staehle 
1883 1885. Henry Vits 



1S86 A. Wittenberg 

1887 1889, Daniel Bleser 
1890 1892, Henry Vits 
1893 1894. W. P Dicke 
1895 1896, C. A Gielow 
1897 1898, E. M. Carstens 

1899 Joseph Staehle 

1900 1901, Charles Hartwig 

1902 J.P.Nolan 

1903 Robert Uek 



308 



1870 
1872 
1873 
1874 
1875 
1876 
1877 
1878 
1879 
1881 
1882 
1883 
1884 

1890 

1892 
1895 
189G 

1891 
1892 
1893 
1895 

1892 
1893 
1894 
1895 
1897 

1849 
1850 
1852 
1853 
1854 
18,05 
1856 
1857 
1858 
1859 
1860 
1861 
1870 
1872 



1871, 



1880, 



1891, 
1894, 

1897. 



1894, 



FOURTH WARD— CITY 

J. W. Barnes 1885 1887, John Boecher 

M. Gilbert 1888 Oscar A. Alter 

F. Kosiomlatsky 1889 John Boecher 

E. K. Rand 1890 Michael Kirwan 

J. W. Barnes 1891 E. J. Smalley 

E. K Rand 1892 1893, E. K. Rand 

C. W. White 1894 1896, Oscar A. Alter 

George Cooper 1897 Frank Zeman 

C. W. White 1898 W. Krainik 

J E Piatt 1899 Frank Zeman 

George Cooper 1900 1901, Frank Vraney 

Sam Hall 1902 Frank Zeman 

A. J. Schmitz 1903 Frank Vraney 

FIFTH WARD— CITY 

Henry Boettcher 1898 1901, Walter Pellett 

J- Meyer 1902 Oscar Lindholm 

F Gerpheide 1903 Ferdinand Veith 
Ot'o Gerpheide 

SIXTH WARD — CITY 

Jacob Fliegler 1896 1898, J. Boecher 

John Boeclier 1899 L. J. Nash 

Gu?tave Torrison 1900 A. P. Schenian 

W. Beasant 1901 Edward Mohr 

SEVENTH WARD— CITY 

Peter Mazurkowitz 1898 C. Monk 



1896 



1851, 



1871. 
1873, 



M. Pankratz 
F Werner 
C. Wachowitz 
John O'Hara 



Charles McAllister 
S. W. Sherwood 
T. W. Baker 
C Klingholz 
Lyman Emerson 
Adam Bleser 
Wyman Murphy 
Adam Bleser 
Richard Donovan 
Adam Bleser 
Richard Steele 
Lyman Emerson 
Richard Donovan 
Harvey F. Hubbard 



1899 1900, Frank Mrotek 

1901 Gustav Mueller 

1902 C.Otto Schmidt 

MANITOWOC RAPIDS 

1874 Richai-d Donovan 

1875 1876, Charles H. W^alker 
1877 Richard Donovan 

1578 Henry Wills 

1579 1882, B. Roemor 

1883 R Klinghoiz 

1884 T. OsuKon 

1885 R. Klino-holz 
18S6 1S92, Charles GusLaveson 
1893 1897. David Shekhm 
1898 1899, Oscar Lindholm 

1900 1901, David Sheldon 

1902 E. S. Bedell 

1903 David Sheldon 



309 







MAPLE GROVE 




1830 




M. C. Brown 


1873 


M. Connell 


1852 




D., B. Knapp 


1874 1875, 


M. Finlan 


1853 1854, 


A. Hickok 


1876 1879, 


J. Miller 


1856 




D. B. Knapp 


1879 1882, 


J. P. Nolan 


1857 




M. Roland 


1883 


James Noble 


1858 




John O'Hearn 


1884 1891, 


J, P. Nolan 


1859 1861, 


Edward Nolan 


1892 1893, 


John Miller 


1870 




John O'Hearn 


1894 1901, 


W. C. Maertz 


1871 




Edward Nolan 


1901 


J. P. Watt 


1872 




E. Regan 


MEEME 




184!) 




T. Cunningham 


1876 1878, 


John Carey 


1850 




B. Hansinger 


1879 


J. H. Bohne 


1851 




Thomas G. Jadwin 


1880 1882, 


John Carey 


1852 




H. Mulholland, Sr. 


1883 


J. H. Bohne 


1853 




John Budemeyer 


1884 1885, 


John Carey 


1854 




H. Simon 


1886 


C. E. Conway 


1855 


1856, 


Henry Mulholland 


1887 18S8, 


Q. A. Danforth 


1857 




Anton Walterbach 


1889 1890, 


P. J. Conway 


185S 




Michael Herr 


1891 1893. 


Q. A. Danforth 


1859 




E, Abrams 


1894 


John Hertel 


1860 




John H. Bohne 


1895 1896, 


William Fenn 


1861 




E. Abrams 


1897 


John Hertel 


1870 




J. H. Bohne 


1898 1900, 


Q A. Danforth 


1871 




W. Danforth 


1901 1902, 


P. J. Conway 


1872 


1874, 


J. H. Bohne 


1903 


Joseph Connell 


1875 




J. L. Edwards 


MISHICOT 




1853 


I Birdsall and A. Borcherdt 1872 


C. Tisch 


1854 




Fred Ullrich 


1873 1880 


J. Lindstedt 


1855 1856. 


W. B. D. Honey 


1881 


John Werner 


1857 




E. H. Shaw 


1882 1883, 


J. Lindstedt 


1858 




W. B. D Honey 


1884 1886. 


August Wagner 


1S59 




J. Rankin 


1887 1889, 


Peter Kaufman 


1860 




John Werner 


1890 1891, 


August Wagner 


1861 




D. Van Valkenburg 


h 1892 1897, 


Bruno Mueller 


1870 




Ira P. Smith 


1898 1900, 


J. Roemer 


1871 




H. Wehausen 


.1901 


Herman Stehn 



310 







NEWTON 




1850 


F. Hacker 


1878 


C. Wernecke 


1851 


Rudolph Von Carn 


ap 1879 1880. 


H. Strodthoff 


1852 


J. Stevenson 


18S1 


C Wernecke 


1853 


William Griebling 


1882 


T. Teitgen 


1854 1855, 


Fred Schmitz 


1883 1885, 


Fred Schmitz 


1856 


William Griebling 


1886 


C Wernecke 


1858 


Dan ShanahRn 


1887 


J. Ruechoeft 


1859 


F. Hacker 


1888 1889, 


P. J. White 


1860 1861, 


Fred Schmitz 


1890 1895, 


A Rodevvald 


1870 1873, 


F ed Schmitz 


1896 1897. 


Thomas Gretz 


1874 1875, 


C. Wernecke 


1898 1900, 


A Rodewald 


1876 1877, 


Fred Schmitz 


1901 
ROCKLAND 


Thomas Gretz 


1856 1861, 


Louis Faulhaber 


1879 


F. Buboltz 


1870 


John Braatz 


1880 


E Thompson 


1871 


L Uusch 


1881 1884, 


Georg-e Miller 


1872 


L. P. Nichols 


1N85 1887, 


M L. Cooney 


1873 


L. Rusch 


1888 1893, 


T. Gleeson 


1874 


Louis Faulhaber 


1894 1S95. 


E. Thompson 


1875 


M. Mason 


1896 1900, 


A. Moede 


1876 1878, 


E. Thompson 


1902 
SCHLESWIG 


Martin Rappel 


1856 1857. 


H. F. Belitz 


1882 


J. D. Brockert 


1858 1859, 


F. R. Gutheil 


1888 1884, 


John Barth 


1S60 


John Barth 


1885 


C. R. Zorn 


1861 


Herman Gutheil 


1886 1887. 


Au.e;ust Goerbing 


1870 1871, 


Louis Gutheil 


1888 


Louis Seng-laub 


1872 


John Barth 


1889 


August Goerbing 


1873 1876, 


C. R. Zorn 


1890 1894 


F Zastrow 


1877 1878, 


John Barth 


189o 1898, 


C. R Zorn 


1879 1880, 


C. R. Zorn 


1899 1902, 


W Reinhold 


1881 


John Barth 


1903 


C. R Zorn 



1860 H. Luebke 

1861 J. C. Eggers 
1870 1871, Fred Pfunder 

1872 Fred Vogel 

1873 H. Reiss 

1874 T. Bartosch 

1875 J. Ruse 

1876 W. Taylor 



TWO CREEKS 

1877 1879 Fred Pfunder 
1880 G Taylor 

1S81 1883, H. John,<on 
1884 1885, Joseph Immler 
1886 1890, H. Johnson ' 
1891 1898, Henry Lehrman 
1899 1900, J. C. Naser • 
1901 Henrv Lehrman 



1857 


H. S Pierpont 


1858 


H. C. Hamilton 


1859 


C Whitcomb 


1860 


Conrad Baetz 


1861 


H. H. Smith 


1870 


B. Wilkins 


1871 


H H Smith 



311 

TWO KIVERS 

1849 John Stuart U872 B. Wilkena 

1850 Charles Kuehn 1873 1876, G. Damler 

1851 1852, W. B. D. Honey 1877 1878, H. Goedjen 

1853 Timothy Harrington 1879 E. Stollberg 

1854 N. Kaufmann 18S0 1881, H. Goedjen 

1855 1856, William Aldrich 1882 1883, F. Schwartz 

1884 1885. H. Goedjen 

1886 George Dicke 

1887 1894, H Goedjen 
1895 1896, T. J. McCarthy 
1897 1900, J. Sechrist 
1901 1902, William Zander 
1903 Robert Schubert 

TWO RIVERS VILLAGE 

1870* H. H. Smith 1874 B Wilkens 

1871 1872, G. Damler 1875 1877, Richard Mueller 

1873 H. H Smith 

P'IRST WARD, CITY 

1858 William Aldrich 1886 J. Gagnon 

1859 H. C. Hamilton 1887 1889, E Mueller 

1860 1861, H. S. Pierpont 1890 1892, U. Niquette 

1878 1883, U. Niquette 1893 1896, Edward Courchene 

1884 Edward Lamere 1897 J. Gagnon 

1885 U. Niquette 1898 J. Geimer 

SECOND WARD, CITY 

1858 H. B. Allen 1883 18S4, E Evans 

1859 John H. Brown 1885 1891, Jonas Gagnon. 
18()0 J. G. Burns 1892 1894, Peter Schroeder 

1861 B. J. Van Valkenburgh 1895 B Wilken«* 

1878 R. Mueller 1896 F. Schwab 

1879 B. Wilkens 1897 1898, Jonas Gagnon 

1880 1882 William Hurst 1899 William Boehringer 

THIRD WARD, CITY 

1878 Peter Stout 1888 W. Wegner 

1879 H Wilger 1889 1890, William Luebke 

1880 1881, G. Breunig 1892 1893, n. Hoffmann 

1882 Henry Wilkins 1894 1895, W. Wegner 

1883 M. Maloy 1896 F. Tegen 

1884 1887, G Breunig 1897 W. Wegner 

FOURTH WARD, CITY 

1897 W O'Hara 1900 John J Schroeder 

1898 1899, Louis Har ,ung 

*From 1870 to 1878 the village of Two Rivers was represented by 
one member in the county board, although from 1858 to 1861 each ward 
had been represented. 



312 



1897 


J. 


Tadich 


1898 


J. 


P. Hoffman 


1899 


C. 


Ki-ause 


1892 


F. 


F. Stelling 


1893 1894, 


F. 


C. Maertz 


1895 1897, 


A. 


Mueller 



1893 1898, J. C. Mueller 
1899 A Dassler 



FIFTH WARD, CITY 

1900 Anton Bonk 

1901 Charles Krause 

VILLAGE OF RKEDSVILLK 

1898 1900, A. C Maertz 

1901 J. E. Schulz 

^aLLAGE OF KIEL 

1900 1901, W. J. Guelzloe 

1902 F. Zastrow 



APPENDIX D. 





VILLAGE A^ 

Mi 


ID CITY OFFICERS. 




\NITOWOC. 




YEAR 


PRESIDENT OR MAYOR TREASURER 


CLERK 


1851 


George Reed 


Gustavus Kichter S. A. Wood 


1852 


James Bennett 


Gustavus Richter. S. A. Wood 


1853 


James Bennett 


A. Wittmann 


S. A. Wood 


1854 


William Bach 


J. B. Dunn 


N. Wollmer 


1855 


Charles Esslinger 


E. D. Beardsley 


Carl Roeser 


1856 


Charles Esslinger 


E. D. Beardsley 


Carl Roeser 


1857 


James Bennett 


Oscar Koch 


Carl Roeser 


1858 


Charles Esslinger 


Oscar Koch 


Carl Roeser 


1859 


S. A. Wood 


Oscar Koch 


J. W. Thombs 


1860 


S. A. Wood 


Oscar Koch 


Carl Roeser 


1861 


G. B. Collins 


C. Hottelmann 


T. C. Shove 


1862 


James Bennett 


C. Hottelmann 


T. C. Shove 


1863 


Osoar Koch 


C. Hottelmann 


A M. Richter 


1864 


A. D. Jones 


C. Hottelmann 


A. M. Richter 


1865 


Joseph Vilas 


C. Hottelmann 


A. M, Richter 


1866 


S. A Wood 


Henry Baetz 


A.M. Richter 


1867 


Henry Baetz 


R. H Hoes 


E Alter 


1868 


Henry Baetz 


Otto Troemmel 


Fred Borcherdt 


1869 


Charles Luling 


Otto Troemmel 


N. Nielson 


1870 


Peter Johnston 


Otto Troemmel 


W. Hempschemeyer 


1871 


Peter Johnston 


A. M. Richter 


Joseph Rankin 


1872 


Charles Luling 


A. M. Richter 


Joseph Rankin 


1873 


A. D. Jones 


Fred Schulz 


F. Stupecky 


1874 


A. D. Jones 


Fred Harris 


F. W. Borcherdt 


187") 


A. D. Jones 


Joseph Staehle 


F. W. Borcherdt 


1876 


A. D. Jones 


Joseph Staehle 


A. M. Richter 


1877 


A. D. Jones 


A. Wittmann 


A. M. Richter 


1878 


John Schuette 


A. Wittmann 


A. D. Jones 



314 



1879 




John Schuette 


Charles Gelbke 


A. D 


Jones 


1880 




John Schuptte 


Charles Gelbke 


A. D, 


, Jones 


1881 




Joliii S(3hiiette 


Charles Gelbke 


Fred 


Heinemann 


1882 




Jolin SchuettH 


Charles Gelbke 


Fred Heinemunn 


1883 




John Schuette 


C. Haukohl 


Fred 


Heinemann 


1884 




George Pankratz 


C. Haukohl 


Fred 


Heinemann 


1885 




George Pankratz 


C. Haukohl 


Emil 


Baensch 


1886 




Reinhardt Rahr 


C. Haukohl 


Emil 


Baensch 


1887 




'Ihomas Torrison 


Francis Stirn 


Emil 


Raensch 


1888 




Thomas Torrison 


Francis Stirn 


E. S 


Sherman 


1889 




Fred Schuette 


Carl Hansen 


Arthur Keiehert 


1890 




Fred Schuette 


Carl Hansen 


Arthur Reichert 


1891 


1893. 


Fred Schuette 


Fred Hau'<ohl 


Arthi 


ir Reichert 


1893 


1895. 


Joseph Vilas 


C. Gielow 


Arthur Reichert 


1895 1897, 


Thomas Torrison 


<'. Gielow 


Arthi 


ir Reichert 


1897 


1899, 


Thomas Torrison 


C. Gielow 


Arthur Reichert 


1899 


1901, 


William Rahr 


C. Gielow 


Arthur Reichert 


1901 


1903, 


, William Rahr 


John Mahnke 


Arthur Reichert, 


1903 




W. G. Kemper 


John Mahnke 


Arthur Reichert 


1 




TWO RIVERS 






YEAR 


PRES. OR MAYOR 


TREASURER 




CLERK 


1858 




H. C. Ha,milton 


F. Bieling 


J.C. 


Eggers 


1859 




H. S. Pierpont 


C. Berger 


J. C. 


E 'gers 


1800 




E Mueller 


J. Oswald 


J.C. : 


E4''j:ers 


1861 




J H. Burns 


F Krause 


Conrad Baetz 


1862 




David Smoke 


G. Bieling 


B. J.VanValkenbur 


1863 




John Oswald 


G Bieling 


Conrad Baetz 


1864 




John Oswald 


John Franz 


Felix 


Walsh 


1865 




John Oswald 


John Franz 


Felix 


Walsh 


1866 




Joseph iNiann 


John Franz 


Felix 


Walsh. 


1867 




E. Mueller 


G. Berger 


Felix 


Walsh 


1868 




John Oswald 


F. Krause 


Fel'ix 


Walsh 


1869 




John Oswald 


G Damler 


Felix 


Walsh 


1870 




Andrew Baetz 


Joseph Schwab 


Felix 


Walsh 


1871 




J M. Conine 


Joseph Schwab 


Felix 


Walsh 


1872 




B. F. Richter 


Louis Zander 


Felix 


Walsh 


1873 




J. M Conine 


Louis Zander 


Felix 


Walsh 


1874 




J. M. Conine 


Louis Zander 


Felix 


Walsh 


1875 




Louis Zander 


Nic Simonis 


Felix 


Walsli 


1876 




J. M. Conine 


Nic Simonis 


Felix 


Walsh 


1879 




B. F. Richter 


E. Hammel 


Felix 


Walsh 


1878 




Michael Maloy 


E. Hammel 


Felix 


Walsh 


1879 




Michael Maloy 


E. Hammel 


Felix 


Walsh 


1880 




William F. Nash 


H. Hansen 


Felix 


Walsh 



m 



1831 

1882 
1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 
1893 
1894 
1895 
1896 
1897 
.1898 
1899 1900, 
1901 



Michael Malloy 
Andrew Baetz 
Andrew Baetz 
Wiliiain Hurst 
William Hurst 
B H Wilkens 
B. H. Vilkens 
B H. Wilkins 
B H Wilkins 
B F. Richter 
Richard E. Mueller 
Richard E. Mueller 
J . E Hamilton 
J E Hamilton 
Wm. Luebke 
Louis Zander 
Peter Gagnon 
Peter Gaj>non 
Peter Gaynon 
Peter Schroeder 



H, Hansen 
A. Kumbaleck 
A. Kumbaleck 
John Ottovv 
John Ottow 
Peter Gagnon 
i'eter Gagnon 
Joseph Rehrauer 
H Hansen 
H. Hansen 
H. Hansen 
H. Hansen 
H. Hansen 
William Tegge 
Henry Hansea 
John Moseler 
John Moseler 
John Mn^eler 
John Moseler 
J. Moseler 



Felix Walsh 
Felix Walsh 
Felix Walsh 

E. H. Young 
E H. Young 
William Hurst 
William Hurst 
William Hurst 
William Hurst 
H. G. Wehausen 
H. G. Wehausen 
H. G. Wehausen 
H. G. Wehausen 
William Hurst 
William Hurst 

F. Althen 
F. Althen 
A. B. Leyss 
A. B. Leyse 
J. L. Klein 



316 

ERRATA AND ADDITIONS. 

Page! *7S The Barry^Line discontinued its west shore runs, north 
of Milwaukee in Ap7-il 1903. 

Page 80 8th line from bottom of page should read ''1855 " 

Page 114 Should read "Judge Taylor" instead of "Judge Thayer." 

Page 151 To last sentence of paragraph should be added "he being- 
the candidate on the Populistic ticket for insurance commissioner.'' 

Page 195 The present pastor of 3t Paul's M. E Church is Rev. C. 
E. Weed. 

Page 201 Name should be "J. W. Thombs." 

Page 20() The present pastor at Maple Grove is Rev. T. O'Connell. 

Page 210 Last line, 33 instead of 13 feet. 

Page 212 Rev. Joseph Chylewski is the present priest of the Mani- 
towoc Polish R. C. Church. 

Page 230 Should i*ead in first line "membership in 1875 was 111." 

Page 233 In February 1901 a large aerie of Eagles was established 
m Manitowoc. 

Page 2.35 In 3rd line in last paragraph snould read "Schmitz" in- 
stead of "Schmidt." 

Page 298-9 The list of craft built at Manitowoc was compiled some 
six years ago for a local weekly and upon more recent investigation it 
has been found that several errors were made therein. Hanson & Scove 
builders, should have had credit for building the schooners Maxwell, 
Parker, McLaren, Linerla and Hall and the steamers Hinton and J. E. 
Hall. J. Butler superintended the building of the May Richards, Lalla 
Rookh and Rube Richards. To the list should be added 

Schr. H. C. Albrecht (Thos Hume) 309 tons, 1880, Hanson & Scove 

Schr. Mary R. Ann, 20 tons, 187'1. 

Tug Dione, 9 tons, 1874, 

Barge Daisy Day, 124 tons, 1880, Hanson & Scove. 

Schr. Glad Tidings, 71 tons, 1883, J. Butler. 

Scow Farrand H. Williams, 94 tons, 1883, Capt. Williams. 

Tug Marinette, 30 tons, 1885, Rand & Burger. 

Tug Grace Williams, 46 tons, 1885, Rand & Burger. 

At Two Rivers during the early seventies the following schooners 
were built by Hanson & Scove: Jo-hn Schuette 289 tons, Mike Corry 
380 tons, Granger 366 tons and Bertie Calkins 256 tons. 



INDEX 



Abbott, E. L 13, 19. 44, 153, 229,244 

Agricultural Associations 238. 239 

Aldrich, Wm 89, 113, 136,146, 187,230, 271 

Alverno 213 

Ann Arbor Line 78, 79 

A. O. U. W 232 

Arndt (family) 16. 21, 143 

Athletic Organizations 236 

Bach, W..46. 95, 124. 138, 148, 169, 172. 229, 233, 235-237, 242, 272, 276, 280 
Baensch (family). 45, 48. 129, 132, 142,151, 164. 229, 240, 265, 273, 274, 285 
Baetz, H. .113, 115, 117, 122, 135, 138, 139, 148, 159, 161, 162, 172, 234, 235. 

264, 267 

Banks and Banking 281 

Baptist church 220-222 

Barnes (family) 104. 113, 115, 136, 234, 282, 286 

Beardsley . E. D 49, 91, 94, 113, 153, 155, 157, 228, 229 233 

Bench and Bar '. .269-275 

Benevolent Societies 240 

Bennett, James 50, 60, 72, 115, 135, 144, 145, 168, 169, 171, 245 

Bohemian Settlement. . . .' 36. Societies 235, 237, 242 

Borcherdt (family^ 30, 32, 91, 98. 101, 113. 117, 121, 126, 144, 160, 198, 199 

, 228. 247, 262, 264, 270 

Boundaries 1 

Branch 15, 26, 38, 40, 49, 51. 115, 186, 189, 231, 276. 289 

Business Associations. 240, 241 

Business and Industry 288 292 



Carey (family) 54. 148, 150, 100, 22?5 

Cato 1, 3, 13, U, 31, 33, 84, 42, 46, 51, "54, 102, 10ft. n«. nn. 126. Ufi. 152. 

159, 231. 2.33. 242 245, 218 

Centervllle township 1. 3, 33, 35. 40, 125, 126, 146. 152. 155. 210. 216, 222, 

...,242. 245 

Centervllle village 40. 6f, 61, 56. 83, 233. 231, 289. 292 

C. v^ N. W. Ry , 11, f9, 85-111 

Cholera , 351 

Christian Church 224 

Christian Scienee 225 

Civil War 114-128 

Clark, T 59. 95 98. 113. 117. 136. 146. 2.36 

Claries Mills 37,51. 53, 130, 187.210, 212, 276 

Cleveland 52 

Clover .52 

Collins 52, 110, 21 7 

Congregration al Church 219 . 220 

Conroe (family) 20. 23. 27. 29. 42 44. 49. 133, 143. 152 

Cooperstown 1, 2. 3, 4, 30, 31. 35, 37, 50, 102. 125 133. 137. 146. 1.^2 15R. 

202. 206, 208. 223, 233, 242, 279 

Creel<^s 4 

Crowley. Jere 52, 113, 138, 159, 160, 239, 242. 247, 2'9. 260, 263 

Dentists 279. 280 

Drain agre . .• 53, 54 

Dramatic OrjSfanization" 236 

Etst Twin River 4, 9, 11, 28, 179 

Eaton 1, 3, 34, 51,53, 54.102, 125.126, 146 152, l.\5, 161, 2^1.217, 223, 233. 
242 

Eljerts. R. M 27. 44. 154, 205 

Edwards (family) 23, 28. 30. 47. 68, 70, 152. 191 

Education 243-254 

E'lis, E. H 47, 49, 154. LS4. 225, 245, 270 

Emer.son, T.yman 30, 35, 145, 160 

Enirlish settlements 34 

Episcopal Church 18."^ 190. 246 

Esslinger, C, 32, 47, 51, 60, 86, 88, 89, 94, 102, 114, 131, 135, 169, 170 238, 

.• 242, 245. 275 

Evangelical Association 223, 224 

Fellows. M 94, 104, 115, 186, 228, 240, 242 

Fisheries 28 

Fitch. C. W 4", 47, 60. 87, 95, 137, 228, 229 234, 255, 257, 262 

F. & P. M Ry. Co 75.77,79,100 107 

Fourth of .luly 130 

Franklin 1, 3,33. 34. 53, 102 125. 146. 153. 2-12. 279 

French Creek 43. 50 51. 202, 207, 208. 210. 211 

French Exploration 9-11 



Geolog'y 2 

German Evanp^elical Church 225 

German Imigration .32.34, Societies 238,235,237,231 

German Reformed Chuych , 33. 222, 223 

Gibson 1, 2, 3, 4, 6. 11, 14, 31, 37. 51, 102, 125. 126, 133, 152, 159, 161, 195, 

216, 2.33. 242 

Glover (family ) 36, 47, 86, 88, 95, 115, 130, 138, 227, 228, 234, 272 

Goodrich Line 70 79 

G A . R 128 

Greenstreet .5, 208 

Grimms Station 2,40,51 

Hamilton (family).. 9, 47, 89, 91, 113, 121, 178, 181, 238, 241, 276, 286, 289 

Harbors 55 67 

Hilca 51, 279 

Hubbard (family) 20, 22, 27, 36, 45, 47, 49 ,58, 91, 124, 144, 152, 155, 201, 
223, 229. 244, 279, 289 

I O. G. T 2.30, 231 

Indians 8 15 

Irish Settlements 34, Societies 224 

Jewish Church 242 

•Johnston, I'eter 60, 149, 173, 200, 234, 254 

Jones, A. D 20, 140, 171, 174, 253 

Jones. Benjamin 17, 20, 22, 38, 4.3, 44. 87, 88, 94.95, 98, 115, 152, 154. 159 

186. 233, 270 

Jones, K. K...,.36, 45. 60, 70, 86, 115, 117, 120, 136, 144, 229, 233, 244, 245 

253 

Jones, William 16, 17, 120 

Kasson 61, 211 

Kelnersville 15, 36, 51, 208, 210 

Kiel.. 40, 48, 19, 51, 52. 106, 126, 128, 182, 213, 222, 229, 231, 233, : 36, 237, 

278,280,287,289,290 

Kinofh Bridge 51 

Kirwan, M 106, 165. 248, 272, 275, 285 

Klingliolz (family) 47, 48, 68, 91, 94, 95, 97, 98, 115, 135, 234,236,237, 241 

242 

Kossuth 1, 3, 6, 4, 30, .32, .34, .36, 61, 91, 102. 126, 146, 152, 155, 161, 

210, 222, 242. 244, 289 

Kuehn, Charles 47, 91, 95, 137, 145, 282 

Labor Orjranizations 239 

Lake Michig:an 1, 2, 3, 10, 11. 55 84 

Lakes 5 

Land Speculation 16, 17 

Larrabee 51,217,231,279 

Liberty 1. 3, 5, 33. 34, 53, 68, K,2. 125, 126, 146, 152, 159, 161. 212, 242, 245 
« 246 



LiteHty Org'anlzatloji§ ..,..., ,,,,.,,,,,, , . . . 233, 236 

Louis Corners . , , , , , 52 

Lueps, J -15. 91, 92, 94 95. 97, 98. 101, 102. lOt, 105, 234, 272 

Luliny-, C 61. 104, 105. 140. 141, 149 172, 174, 252 

Lumbering- 10 31, 38 

Lutheran Cburch ....33, 214 218, 245, 247, 253 

McAlli.s er (fauiily ) 26, 38, 44, 46, 00. 86, 15.3, 155, 231, 2,38 

Mad sen 110 

Maiiilowoc citv See lopics and cliaplpi s 

Manitowoc Rapids, iownsiiip 1, 2. 3, 4, 5, 13, 34, 35 37 91, 120, 125, 126, 

146-52, 155, 189, 241, 242 

Manitowoc Rapids, village 11, 16, 20. 23, 40, 43, 46-49, 135, 183-186. 191, 

198 202, 203. 212, 223. 224, 276, 289, 291 

Manitowoc Kivei- 3 11, 16, 57, 58. 190 

Manitowoc & .Mississippi lly. Co ^5 111. 1()9 

Mann (family) 66, 179, 2.39. 241, 2-2. 254. 2S!) 

Maple (Ji-ove 1, 3, 33. 34, 46, 50, 53, 91, 102, 106, 125. 126, 1-16-52, 155, 192. 

202, 206. 210, 217. 220, 231, 242 

Marine Disa.stei-s 80-4 

Markliam (family) (ill, (i3, 98, 101, 104, 105, 113, 115, 122. 123, 126, 131, 

171 271, 274, 284 

Masonic Orders 227-8 

Mccme 1. 3, 8, 34. 35, 38, r>ry, 1()2, 125, 126, 140 52, 155, 186, 202, 207, 210, 

224. 239 242. 245-6 

Melnil< , 52. 20 2,275 

Memorial Days 132 

Menchalville 52 

Methodist ( 'h u rch 190-8 

Milliome 51 

Militia System 112, 113. 128. 129 

Mishicot township 1, 3, 8, ,33, 91, 102, 115-6. 1.3.3, 146-52, 155, 211 2. 244-6 
Mishicot village 4, 30, 3S, 48, 50, 73, 83, 114, 191, 213, 217, 231, 233, 237, 

278 279 289 

Mound Builder.-^ 9 

MulhoUand (family) .35, (iO, 122, 146 148, 175, 177. 207, 234, 242, 245-6, 279 

Munger, D. S 20, 22, 44, 153, 270 

Murphy's Mills 4, 27, 44 

Musical Organizations 235, 236 

Nagle, John 142, 248, 250, 251, 254, 264, 267, 284 

Nero 51 

Neshoto 4, 8, 16. 29, 38, 51, 73. 191 

Newton 1, 3, 5, .32-3, 35. 40, 51. 91, 102, 118. 125. 126, 146-52. 155, 196, 211, 

214, 216, 227, 235. 241. 242, 245 

Niles 51, 202, 217. 231 

Northeim 51 . 129, 211 

Norwegian Settlement 34, Societies 234 



Odd Fellows Ordei* 229, 230 

01m8tead,T G 115, 122, 255,264, 272, 273 

Oslo ...51 

Osman ^'^ 

Physiciiins 275-279 

Pierce ( lamil v) 2fi, 31, 43, 47. 49, 112, 130, 13."). 144, 148, 152-6, 1(^3. 

" 245. 270, 290 

Pieri)OiU (family) 32, 70, 124, 1.37, 138, 147, 1.59-01. 1(53. 178. 219 2(56, 291-4 

Plait (liirailv) 48, ,50, 72. 91, 92, 94, 95, 98, 115, 121, 14(5, 168, 234 

Polisli ir'eitk mem 40 

Politic- National 134-42, State 142-.52, County 152-fiO 

PosioHlcts ami I'os Routes 49-52 

Presl.yturi<;n Ciimch 198 202, 246 

Pi-e.ss, The 265-68 

Rahr(f.imily)...47, 61, 97, 150, 164, 170, 175-.7 2.35, 239. 2-54, 283, 288. 289 

Kiii. roads 8.5-111 

Rand (family) 72 5, 91, 94, 126, 136, 147, 170, 174, 199, 201, 228, 2.34, 240, 

284. 285 

Rankin, .l().-,ei.li 122. 140, 146, 148-50 

Reed, Geui-^n; 46, 86 103, 124, 138, 147, 158, 168, 181, 199, 271 3 

Re.dsville4, 38, 40, 41, 46, 51, 181, 211, 216, 223, 224, 229, 233, 27h 9, 290 

Rei f 52 

Rivers 4 

Roads 42 9 

Roelvland 1, 3, 4, 5, 33. 35. 53. 54, 102, 125, 126, 146-52, 1,58, 161 223, 242 

KocUville 40 

Roman Catholie Church .3.3, 202-14, 247, 249, 253 

Roseeraiis 51, 217 

Rube 217 

Saint Nazianz 33, 208, 210, 249 278, 279, 292 

Saint VVendel 52, 278 

Salomon ( fami ly) 91, 99, 113, 1 18, 122, 147, 229, 234, 255, 2.57 62 

Schleswio-...!, 3, 4, 5,13, 14, 37, 40, .50, 102, 103, 107 118, 125, 126,146-,52, 

158, 242 

Schmidt (family). . .118, 120. 131, 148, 164. 173, 237', 241, 255, 259, 264, 266, 

267,274 275 

Schmiiz (family) 32, 64, 106, 136, 141, 149, 151, 161, 165,234, 242. 2.52, 

272-5. 285 

Scliool Bill 52, 220, 221, 233 

Schueite (family) 49, 61, 63, 106, 149, 174-6, 239, 240, 254, 283-4, 291, 292 

Shel)oyj?an River 4 

Shove (family).. 61. 114, 115, 117, 119. 126, 226, 208, 240,248, 272, 282. 285 

Smart, R. D .51, 81, 131 149,163,164, 175,273, 274 

Smith, H. (family).. 29, 30, 35, 44, 47. 48. .50, 59. 89, 144, 149,179. 242. 289 
Smith, P. P. 2. 20, 22, 28, 47. 58, 60, 69. 88, 91, 112, 114, 120, 135. 138. 152 

155, 190,228, 229.242, 244 



Smith, S. W 89, 113, 126, 138, 229, 234, 255, 257, 260, 262 

Societies and Org-anizations 227-242 

Sons of Herman i 231 

Spanish W ar , 129, 130 

Stark 52 

Steinthal 51 

Street Railways Ill 

Taus 52 

Telegraphs and Telephones 52, 53 

Timothy 12 

Tisch Mills 51, 209. 279 

Torrison (fam ly) 34, 64, 72, 115 175, 177, 229, 239, 254, 284, 285, 292 

Transportation and Shipbuilding 67, 80 

Treat, E. B 49. 101, 131, 162. 200, 263, 272, 273 

Two Creeksl. 3, 11, 31, 37, 39, 51, 53, 61, 67, 102, 125. 126, 133, 146, 152, 

159, 220 233, 242. 290 

Two Rivers, city See Topics 

Two Rivera, Township 3, 3.3, 61, 102, 126,127,145,163, 195. 244, 245 

Valders 52, 110, 217, 218 

Vegetation 5, 6 

Vieau, .J 11, 28. 40, 155 

Vilas, Joseph, 61 63, 72. 100, 107, 110, 124, 126, 1.31, 138, 141, 147, 149, 
171, 234, 241, 246, 290 

Walker (family). .75, 95, 104, 120. 121, 141, 141, 145. 146. 161, 2.33, 234, 

241, 253, 270, 272 

Waume^^esako 13 

Wells 5^ 

Welsh Settlament 37, 220. 221 

West Twin River 1. 4, 9, 28, 29, 179 

Whitelaw 49, 52, 212 

Windiate (family) 49,51,82, 115, 127, 227, 234 

Wisconsin Central Ry 78 85-111 

Wittman, A. 50, 11.3, 115, 124, 126, 131, 136. 1.38, 228, 2.34. 2.36, 245. 265,267 

Wood, S. A. 45, 47, 50. 60, 88, 91. 92, 94, 95, 97, 98. 101, 126, 138, 146 160, 

168, 170, 174. 234,242,271.285 

Zander , 52 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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